Dongjing Meng Hua Lu facts for kids
Dongjing Meng Hua Lu (which means Dreams of Splendor of the Eastern Capital) is a special book written by a person named Meng Yuanlao. He lived around 1090 to 1150. This book is like a detailed diary or memory book about the city of Kaifeng.
Kaifeng was once called Dongjing, the amazing capital city of the Northern Song dynasty. But in 1126, the Jin dynasty took over northern China. This forced the Song court to move south to a new capital, Hangzhou. Meng Yuanlao became a refugee, meaning he had to leave his home.
His book is a loving and detailed look back at Kaifeng. It describes city life, what was sold in different seasons, and all the fun festivals. It also talks about foods, traditions, and customs. Later on, many people copied his book. It became a famous picture of how rich and grand Chinese culture was back then.
We don't know much else about Meng Yuanlao. He was a minor government official. He lived in Kaifeng (also called Bianjing) from when he was 13 until he was 27. Then he escaped to the south. His book was first printed in 1187. But he wrote the introduction in 1147, years after the capital moved. This shows he started writing it around that time. The book has 10 parts and is often called Meng Hua lu for short.
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What the Title Means
The title Dongjing Meng Hua Lu has a special meaning.
- Dongjing means "Eastern Capital," which was Kaifeng.
- Meng means "dream."
- Hua refers to an ancient, perfect land.
- Lu means "record."
So, it's like a "Record of Dreams of Splendor in the Eastern Capital." The name hints at a famous story about the Yellow Emperor. He dreamed of a perfect land called Hua Xu, where everyone was happy and kind. When he woke up, he realized true happiness wasn't about desires.
Meng Yuanlao used this idea in his title. He was saying that he woke up to a world that was a "perfect mess" compared to the old capital. The word "dream" in Chinese often looks back at the past, not forward to hopes. Other famous Chinese books also use "meng" (dream), like Honglou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber).
A Dream of the Old Capital
Meng Yuanlao's introduction, written in 1147, tells us about the old capital. He remembered it as a place of peace and plenty.
- People were everywhere, and everything was abundant.
- Young people spent their time drumming and dancing.
- Older people didn't know about fighting or war.
- Every season and festival brought new sights to enjoy.
- There were nights lit by lamps and evenings under the moon.
- People enjoyed snowy times and blooming flowers.
- They would climb heights and explore gardens.
He wrote about beautiful buildings with green roofs and painted rooms. Fancy carriages and jeweled horses filled the streets. Gold and bright colors dazzled the eyes. Silky clothes gave off sweet smells. New sounds and laughter came from the lively streets. Music from pipes and strings filled the tea houses and wine shops.
Meng also said that "treasures and unique items from around the world were gathered here." Everything was sold in the markets. Amazing smells from all over could be found. Meng must have been well-off to enjoy all these city pleasures. He also described grand imperial ceremonies, though he might have heard about them from others.
Fun in the City: Food, Performers, and Nightlife
One expert, Wu Pei-yi, says that what makes this book special is its detailed descriptions of daily life. It shows what it was like to live in the streets and markets. "Food and drink seemed to be everyone's main interest," he wrote.
Meng loved to describe street entertainers. He even named some of them!
- Wildman Zhao would eat and drink while hanging upside down.
- Hua Zhuoer would sing different songs.
- Big Head Wen and Little Cao played the lute.
- Dang Qian played wind instruments.
- Zou Yi and Tian Di would pretend to be country visitors.
- Yin Chang told stories from history.
- Liu Baiqiin had his birds and animals do tricks.
- Yang Wenxiu played the drum and flute.
The book describes over a hundred famous dishes and snacks. It talks about local foods, street snacks, and famous restaurants. It's a very important source for learning about Chinese food and drink history. It even mentions different regional foods from that time, like many dishes from Sichuan.
Meng's description of an evening at a restaurant is very clear: When guests arrived, a waiter would take their orders. People from the capital were very fancy. They would ask for a hundred different things. Some hot, some cold, some warm, some regular, some extremely cold. Everyone ordered something different. The waiter would remember all the orders. Then, they would carry many bowls and dishes, piling them up their arm. They would give each person exactly what they ordered, without any mistakes!
Qingming Festival
The book also describes the Spring Festival. This part helps us understand one of China's most famous paintings, the Qingming Shanghe tu by Zhang Zeduan. This painting shows scenes from the Spring Festival.
On this day, people would visit and clean new graves. People from Kaifeng would go to the suburbs. When they came back in the evening, they would bring back special items. These included flat pancakes, clay figures, toy knives, beautiful flowers, exotic fruits, and toy models of landscapes or buildings. They also brought lucky game accessories, duck eggs, or chicks. They called these "gifts from outside the city gates." Carriages were decorated with flowers and willow branches on all sides.
The Performance of Dongjing Menghua Lu
Today, there's a big show called "Song Dynasty-Dongjing Menghua." It's performed on the water at Qingming River Park in Kaifeng. The show lasts 70 minutes and has more than 700 actors!
