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Reviewed by:
  • Beijing: From Imperial Capital to Olympic City
  • Jeffrey F. Meyer (bio)
Lilian M. Li, Alison J. Dray-Novey, and Haili Kong. Beijing: From Imperial Capital to Olympic City. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007. 321 pp. with endnotes, bibliography, index, 7 maps, 13 color plates, 50 black and white figures. Hardcover $27.95, ISBN 978-1-4039-6473-1.

This is a timely publication, appropriate for the serious reader who would like to understand the social history of Beijing and get an insight into some of its contemporary urban problems. The first half of the book covers the history of the capital under the emperors, beginning with the Liao dynasty (916–1125 C.E.), when the city was established as the southernmost of its five capitals. It follows the increasing importance of the city in its development by subsequent dynasties until the revolution of 1911 brought an end to the imperial system of government. The last half of the book covers the city during the Republican period and World War II, during which time the Chinese capital had been moved to Nanjing, and finally the period from 1949 to the present, when Mao and the Communist Party restored Beijing as the national capital. The subtitle is somewhat misleading if it prompts the reader to expect information about the Olympic city. Only a few pages in the final chapter discuss some of the most recent architectural changes to the city, such as the National Grand Theater, the CCTV building, and the National Stadium that Beijing people call the "Bird's Nest." Only the last, the stadium where the opening ceremonies took place in 2008, is a direct result of Olympic planning.

The book is well written and will engage the inquisitive reader. Based on the work of well-known scholars such as Edward Farmer, Sidney Gamble, Susan Naquin, Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt, and others, it does not break much new ground, but it brings together in an interesting way earlier research on the history, social life, architecture, and planning of the city. One of the most difficult aspects of a project like this is the fact that the history of Beijing from its construction in 1420 C.E. down to the present is, in fact, pretty much coterminous with the history of China. Therefore, to tell the history of the city is to repeat the history of China. The authors are required to rehearse the Boxer Rebellion, the revolution of 1911 , the May Fourth movement, the Cultural Revolution, the Tiananmen incident of 1989, and the economic boom of the last two decades. These decisive events either happened in Beijing or, in the case of the 1911 revolution, had their greatest impact there. As the authors affirm, "For all intents and purposes, particularly for the outside world, Beijing was China" (p. 173). For those already familiar with modern Chinese history, these sections of the book will be repetitious. [End Page 400]

Still, some new materials are provided that have not previously received much attention, and these are a welcome addition to the literature. Examples include the authors' description of the functioning and significance of the huiguan system, which was unique among all Chinese cities. The huiguan was a lodge in which political and financial visitors to the capital from the same province could find room and board. It was an important factor in preserving the always tight bond of the Chinese to their provincial homes. So strong was this feeling that it sometimes trumped national/imperial loyalties. Another example would be the perceptive account of the development of a Beijing police force and its relationship to the increasing sense of urban autonomy after the 1911 revolution. A final example is the section on the commodification of Beijing. Here the authors lament the loss of so many historical structures and neighborhoods in the last few decades. They correctly point out how the ruling party members have often been the agents selling properties to developers while at the same time they are supposedly in charge of oversight of such sales to protect the public interest. Obviously the possibilities for corruption are vast and some of the more egregious blunders of the last few decades...

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