Houses in Qing dynasty
The housing problem of Beijing officials in Qing Dynasty has a long history. Except for ministers like Zhang, who were given housing by the emperor, most officials didn't have the luck and ability, so they had to solve the housing problem by themselves. Either build your own house or buy your own house. If it really doesn't work, you have to rent a house. Therefore, in the Qing dynasty, the housing problem has been puzzling people at that time. Because of the high mobility of officials, most officials choose to rent, but there are many issues to consider, most of which exceed the more details that renters have to consider today.
Zeng Guofan's calligraphy
Beijing officials rent houses differently from ordinary people. Their first consideration is whether they are decent or not. Therefore, although most officials in Beijing are poor, they are very particular about where they live. Take Li Ciming's poor Beijing official as an example. He rented the official residence of the former governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. "There are more than 20 houses, a porch and a garden, and flowers and trees are widely planted." There are places of interest, such as Xuan Cui Fang, Bijiao Pavilion, Huaying Gallery and Xiaodongpu. Notes on Yue Maotang
The nature of renting houses by Beijing officials is similar to that of now, because the rented places are always unreliable. And these people often move because of changes in official positions and so on. For example, Chen Tingjing, a university student during the reign of Kangxi, described his renting situation as "March 3rd" and moved three times in five years, which was really frequent. Besides, as an official, most things are very complicated, especially calligraphy and painting, which is very difficult to carry.
Yuemantang Diary
During the Qianlong period, Qian Daxin also made a big move. He lamented that he was "tired as an axle and clumsy as a pigeon." . Compare yourself to an axle and a bird, hoping to settle down. Qi Junzao, a university student in Jiaqing period, also had such a similar sigh: "I was an official in the capital and moved to my home in ten years and four years." I'm also talking about regular behavior. It can be seen that it is not easy to settle down in the Qing Dynasty.
In addition, the poverty of Beijing officials was a well-known fact throughout the Qing Dynasty, and it also became a phenomenon that people made fun of. At that time, a special person wrote an article mocking the poverty of an official in Beijing: "The sedan chair broke the curtain, the horse broke the saddle, and the white hair was really rare. When the dung truck passed by, it was an official of the DPRK. "
The image of Beijing officials in Qing Dynasty
However, even if these people are so poor and wandering, they always have to safeguard the dignity of Beijing officials, so they often have to make ends meet. The story of these people moving is not typical, but Zeng Guofan, who was a Beijing official, is very vivid and representative. As a Zeng Guofan who drifted from Hunan, he was always short of money in the early days, especially when he was an official in Beijing, and he often worried about renting a house. Since the 20th year of Daoguang, Zeng Guofan has moved many times for complicated reasons. He moved for the first time because his residence was too noisy to rest quietly. So, this year 10, he moved to a small courtyard with three rooms. The scenery in the yard is not bad, there are many green plants and the environment is quiet and beautiful, which is very suitable for Zeng Guofan who needs to recuperate.
Related pictures
But I will move soon. Why? Because I can't live anymore. My father and brother came from my hometown in Hunan, so I had to find a big house to rent many times. Zeng Guofan changed his mind after seeing a yard, because he heard that someone died in this house. He died on a Martyrs' Day. In that day's diary, he did not forget to comment: "Beijing's housing tenants are lucky and respectful, but they were not lucky at that time." Out of taboo, Zeng Guofan finally gave up choosing this seemingly suitable place. Soon he took a fancy to a place in an alley, renting 8 thousand Wen a month. He needs 66 taels of silver all year round, which is equivalent to half a year's salary. In addition to burning money, Zeng Guofan attaches great importance to the issue of feng shui. Although he has repeatedly said that he doesn't believe this, he is convinced in real life.
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Once, I asked a friend to help him look at the feng shui of renting a house. After reading it, Zeng Guofan decided not to renew the lease. In his home letter, he said: "Wang Hancheng said that the East is extremely unlucky, and Chongqing people are not suitable to live in a house suspended on three sides." Listen to a friend's "well-founded words can't help but shake" and ask him how to deal with it. My friend said that I can't move well in August and September, so I'd better move out this month. So Zeng Guofan began to look for a house anxiously and put down his things for several days in a row. "Looking for a house is very urgent. If you don't care, your heart will not be practical." You know, anxious. Finally, with the help of friends, we can decide which one to choose while watching Feng Shui, so "Jizhai" is the first consideration of Zeng Guofan, the renter. Finally, the eighteen rooms in the rope maker's house are much more spacious than the house in Huamian Hutong.
In his Letter from Home, he described the rented house as follows: "The house is very good, 18 rooms, and the monthly rent is 2000 yuan." In the former Huamian Hutong, the house was very tight. At this time, the room is cool and the weather is spacious. "It's just that the rent price has gone up again this time, exceeding a lot of budgets, and the annual rent is more than 80 yuan. In order to make up the deficit, we have to borrow a lot.