During the Qing Dynasty, the sleepy town of Harbin 哈爾濱, nurturing a long but relatively quiet history, witnessed a sudden boom in prosperity following the relaxation of the Manchurian isolationist policies during the 17th and 18th centuries and with its new link to the Trans-Siberian Railway built in the early 1900's. Driven by social and economic progress and enjoying a diverse but favourable geographic environment, Harbin became an important trade collection and distribution center as the capital of the Province of Heilongjian.
Situated on the southern bank of the wide Songhua River and with an abundance of natural resources, the people of Harbin largely depended upon the river in developing handicrafts, promoting business freedom and depended on the advantages provided its water transport.
Stimulating the growth of this economy was the abundance of ginseng found in the surrounding rural areas. Rich in fertile soil and clean water, hunting and fishery provided a diverse number of commercial opportunities for Harbin's residents and a myriad of ingredients for the local herbalists.
As merchants and men of letters came to settle Harbin in large numbers through the Qing policy of forced re-location, the town became a socio-economic centre for trade in daily necessities and social intercourse, creating an environment that was, at the height of its wealth, busy, industrious and noisy. Along the embankment, traditionally referred to as 'the Horses Head,' waterside structures mushroomed, forming rows of buildings integrating the differing functions of commerce, residence and production. The front of single story homes became open shops, with the rear utilized as the family residence; twin story homes opened their lower levels as trading centers, with upper levels serving as family residences and backyards as workshops, studios, foundries, small factories and storage areas. From the earliest times, roofed corridors were erected along the embankment by the merchant families, providing a shelter from sun and rain for their customers. Large riverside properties had spacious courtyards, galleries and pavilions with stone paved revetment steps leading down to the riverside and the stone piers of the embankment. Homes with storefronts were connected by narrow lane ways leading further into the town and away from the river and by the mid 19th century, there were some ten thousand households, a large local magistrate’s residence and a customs fortress of great importance.
The Songhua River, teeming with fish, yielded a steady production all year round and as a result, an economic structure based on staple food, textiles and the medicine and fur trades served as a link between town and countryside in the urbanization process of the latter. A large part of the population engaged in growing ginseng, edible mushrooms and the produce was shipped throughout the empire. A diversity of farm produce, tobacco, timbers, ducks and geese, rice, bamboo, cuckoos, laughing doves, wooden and pottery items were traded with China proper, Mongolia, Korea and Russia for salt, silks, cotton textiles and various other essentials.
Along the landing-places or jetties where stalls of refreshments were sold to the boatmen and loungers, tea was the universal beverage; Tea vendors, standing beneath a canopy of sail-cloth, invited all passers-by to taste this favourite refreshment - small cups were laid with regularity along a marble counters, at the end of which stood a wood fired stove and boiler. Here one could have regularly seen the 'cat' merchants unloading their 'catches' in the conical baskets in which these animals were brought to market. The pole from which they were suspended, the broad-leafed hat of the cat-merchants, the walking-stick of the buyer, the masts, sails, ropes, of the trading junks which lay close to the shore, as well as the frame-work and sail-cloths that sustained and formed their awnings, were all obtained and manufactured from local hardwoods and the ever invaluable bamboo.
The sufficient supply and acquisition of food seems to have been the influencing power behind the Harbin resident. On offer, for tastes less fastidious than our 'western' palates, were eagles, storks, cranes, hawks and owls, which were amongst the regular food stuffs arrayed by the water-front poulterers. Throughout the Qing empire, duck and goose and pork, remained a staple and with the influx of Russian Jews and Muslims, lamb and mutton gained in popularity.
The rich and elevated were decided epicures; their voracity only limited by the extent of their revenue. A visitor to Manchuria during the 19th century wrote, "Being the most omnivorous people in the world, there is not an animal or plant that can be procured by art and industry and eaten without risk of life, that is not pressed into the service by these astronomers: the flesh of wild horses is highly prized, the meat of boars, hares, wolves and foxes; the larvae of the sphinx-moth, bears' paws, and the feet of other animals brought from Tartary, Cambodia, and Siam, are deemed delicious; and edible birds' nests are esteemed at the banquets of the mandarins, for which they are occasionally made into a soup."
The stewards of the noble families of Harbin repaired each morning to purchase foodstuffs along the riverfront, vying for the best cuts of cat, bear, horse-flesh, salmon and shell-fish. In the ancient Manchu and Chinese writings, cats are spoken of as a delicacy at table. In Manchu legend a dog rescued Emperor Tai Zu Nurachi, the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty during a fierce battle. Because of this heroic act, the Manchu have always accorded great respect to dogs and take good care of them. Eating dog meat remains taboo in the Manchu world. Keeping dogs as pets originated amongst the peerage of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and became fashionable during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the 'Qingbai leichao,' a collection of anecdotes of the Qing Dynasty, six kinds of noble dogs are recorded, including the Pekinese.
With produce brought by cart or river from the local countryside, people shared in an abundance of foodstuffs including, mushrooms, fish, river slugs, eggs, dumplings, carrots, cabbage, onions, oils, corn starch and flour and flavourings such as pepper and soy. Manchu ladies with their elaborate hairstyles, escorted and unfettered by bound feet, shopped along the waterfront for silks and cotton, furs, embroidery threads, jewels, flowers and carved chests, furniture and paper, inks, brushes and poetry scrolls. The elite wandered the embankment, looking for porcelain from Jingdezhen, Yixing stonewares and carved ivory birds and animals, including cows, cranes, eagles, elephants, pheasants and monkeys. Bronze agricultural tools and household vessels were always in demand - and all this watched over by the ever present customs officials.
Salesmen and buyers entered the embankment marketplace, or stepped from their boats bringing wood for local carpenters, furs from Siberia and large quantities of indigo and opium. Baskets of fish added to not only the atmosphere but the smell. Upriver, coolies loaded baskets of millet and various kinds of grain; barges made their way to Harbin carrying coal for the railways, gold, iron ore, and precious stones. Large merchantmen, Chinese junks, barges laden with all manner of produce and small fishing skiffs all jostled for places, all pushed and shoved and all contributed to a teeming and vibrant atmosphere.
Heavily guarded gold barges made their way down river to Harbin. Gold mines were worked at several places in the northern part of Manchuria, of which the principal remain on the Muho River, an affluent of the Amur and near the Russian frontier and are worked to this day. Mines are also worked at Kwanyin-shan, opposite the Russian frontier town of Radevska and at Chia-pi-kou on an affluent of the upper Sungari.
|
|
