The City of Rams – Old Xiguan
It takes just a short walk in the neighborhood to appreciate a few rather obvious characteristics of Liwan.
I have enjoyed my first walk on Baoyuan Road when I went from the metro station to the Origin Antique House and Hotel. After dropping off my luggage, I headed out to the direction of Chan Tim Kee for lunch.
A Walk in Liwan
The streets were bustling with afternoon traffic. Needless to say, the food and shopping establishments were innumerable along the way. They were mostly humble establishments, and quite a few of them were clearly restaurants with long-established presence in the neighborhood.
On this hot summer day the abundance of trees along the roads tapered the heat for pedestrians. I looked on and saw many alleyways. They could be the entrance to residences, or they could be an off-the-street extension of commercial life. I noticed the interactions of people on the streets and they reminded me of this expression “the taste of humane love,” in Chinese, referring to a general sense of warmth and kindness amongst a people.
For example, there were a whole lot of construction work on the way, as the sure signs that the district is undergoing a continuous process of renewal and revitalization. Where I bumped into some construction work inadvertently, the workers would say kindly that I should watch my steps.
What makes this an aged community is not merely the existence of old structures on the streets. It lies rather in the fact that the pride of the people are in the people themselves, an assured sense of contentment in the intangible qualities that makes a community last—a shared history, a common vision of hope and a tolerance and the attendant accommodation for new and foreign influences. In this area of Guangzhou, Xiguan is the idea that unites this neighborhood.
Old Xiguan
Most of Liwan today was known back in the days as Xiguan. “Xi,” meaning west, refers to the area being west of the old walled city of Guangzhou. “Guan,” meaning a gate or a boundary-crossing point, refers to the fact that this area would be a point of entry leading into the west gates of the former walled city of Guangzhou. In Cantonese, the area is called Sai Kwan, which was the old romanization of the area’s name.
I saw frequent references to Xiguan, especially when it came down to restaurant advertising. I garnered the impression that there is a distinct culture, and also pride, associated with Xiguan. In fact, the Wikipedia says that some Xiguan residents speak a distinctive dialect of Cantonese, and I did wonder about that. When I just arrived, I noticed a distinguishable difference in the Cantonese I heard there and the Cantonese that I speak myself. However, I did not hear enough of that Cantonese to be able to articulate what actual differences there are.
The Thirteen Factories
Xiguan has the historical significance of being the former site for the famous Thirteen Factories. In terms of official translation, I prefer to call them the “Thirteen Hongs of Canton.” It speaks to the nature of the “Hongs,” which were traders of foreign goods in Canton since the Qing Dynasty.
During the Qing Dynasty, the imperial government struggled with foreign demands to open up the country for trade. At most junctures it kept its close-door policy. During the 23rd year of Kangxi’s Reign (1684), the Chinese Emperor approved foreign trade in a few of the coastal areas of China. Guangzhou was one of them. By the 22nd year of the Qianlong Reign (1757), the Thirteen Hong Enclave was the one of the restricted areas in which foreign traders could maintain their shops and live in China. Besides foreign traders, there were also government traders dealing in foreign goods within the area. The countries that established their presence in Guangzhou’s Thirteen Hong Enclave included the United States, Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Denmark, France, Sweden, and Portugal.
Speaking of the Thirteen Hongs, this may be a similar idea to the economic development model that the Chinese Communist Party has implemented during its reform and opening up. Certain areas with convenient sea and air access were carved out for rapid economic development and policy experiments, known as the Special Economic Zones. In these zones people were free to engage in novel and innovative economic activities.
The Thirteen Factories eventually monopolized the foreign trade in Guangzhou. Besides the foreign-owned Hongs, there were also Chinese-run traders there that served as the designated intermediaries for foreign trade. This arrangement has resulted in the rise of very wealthy Chinese tycoons, many of whom were the world’s wealthiest in those times.
Fast-forward to the era of the Opium Wars, many of the Hongs were bankrupt due to the Qing Government’s onerous demands for their wealth. As the Treaty of Nanking opened up foreign trade in all of the five entrepots in southern China, the advantages that the Thirteen Factories formerly enjoyed as the exclusive trading intermediary also became a thing of the past.
Finally, the Thirteen Hongs met an unfortunate ending. In the 6th year of Xianfeng’s Reign (1856), the Second Opium War broke out. People responded angrily to the British forces’ bombing of Guangzhou by burning down the Thirteen Factories and the whole enclave. What became known as the “Great Xiguan Fire” sealed the fate of the Thirteen Hongs.
Enning Road
Enning Lu (Enning Road) is known to be the “arcade street” in Xiguan. The buildings along the road exhibit this special feature of an arcade. Enning Lu is also known as Guangzhou’s “most beautiful and oldest arcade street.”
As an architectural style, the arcade that line both sides of Enning Lu became very popular during the early 20th century. Some notable features of Enning Lu’s arcades are the westernized designs with stained glass panes known as Manchurian window.
According to the Wikipedia, “arcades connect houses and make a long path for pedestrians to keep out wind, rain and the glare of sunshine. Arcades seem to be exactly designed for the climate in Guangzhou and meanwhile makes it much more convenient for stores to display their goods and attract customers.”
And I found the experience walking along Enning Lu to be quite a bit more authentic than the revitalized Yongqing Fang. Some eye-catching sites there include the former home of Bruce Lee (his father’s house in Guangzhou).
The Bahe Guild Hall of Cantonese Opera is the spiritual home for Cantonese opera performers. The Bahe Guild of Cantonese Opera was founded during the Guangxu Reign of the Qing Dynasty. It stands as testament to Liwan’s role as one of the origins of Cantonese opera in China.
Finally, my favorite old store is the coppersmith Weixing, which showcases all sorts of copperware with Master Su hammering away. Master Su is the fourth-generation coppersmith of this store.
Yongqing Fang
The Yong Qing Fang area has been in existence since 1931. It has been revitalized into a mixed business-and-cultural district in 2018 after Xi Jinping’s visit. In 2020 it was designated as a national-level Grade AA tourist destination.
But I find the real old-city charm to exist rather on Enning Road instead. What is “old” in Yongqing Fang were really just the old structures. Some of them are merely “built to look old.” The idea of a revitalized district with its business and cultural storefronts is more representative of the current aspirations of China as a whole. They are modern in their appearance, and modern in their essence.
It was, however, a pleasing thought to me that I was standing upon the former Thirteen Factories enclave. In the area there are some eye-catching, beautiful traditional Chinese architecture, amongst them the Cantonese Opera Museum was representative. Because I went on a Monday, some museums in the area were closed.
To my disappointment, the Liwan Museum inside Yongqing Fang was not very good. It really paled in comparison to the museum in Gangkeng Ancient Hakka Townlet in Shenzhen. I felt like seeing something that was quickly put-together without much thought.
On this hot and sunny day, I had an afternoon ice coffee at a cool coffee house in Yongqing Fang.
Sources
The Wikipedia on Xiguan.
The Wikipedia on Thirteen Factories.
Descriptions on site at Yongqing Fang.
Enning Road, the most beautiful old street in Guangzhou, was once dilapidated and was almost demolished, min.news.com.