Exhibition "The Metropolises and the Prosperities within — Tokyo and Beijing in the 18th Century" opens at the Capital Museum from Aug. 14 to Oct. 7, 2018.

Here is the introduction:

Prelude

Facing each other across a narrow strip of water, China and Japan are neighboring countries with a history of relations for centuries. Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, was previously named Edo when Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made it the headquarter of his regime at the beginning of the 17th century. Although the meaning of Edo is literally estuary, Edo was a small coastal town on the Kanto plain with a number of rivers flowing into the sea. It rapidly developed into the absolute center of Japan under the rule of the shogunate. With the arrival of Emperor Meiji, Edo became an imperial capital and its name changed to Tokyo after the Meiji Reformation. Tokyo has been since then turned into a symbol of political and imperial power. Beijing, once the imperial capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing empires, is now the capital of the People’s Republic of China.

In the 18th century, as the two largest cities in the world, Tokyo and Beijing both celebrating great prosperity. Beijing was booming with the economic success under the reigns of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong; whilst people in Tokyo were also living affluently in peace under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Although urban planning, life styles and artistic cultures between Tokyo and Beijing were very different, the two cities shared common traits of stability and sustainability during this period of time.

Section One

The construction of Beijing and Edo

The building of Beijing initiated in 1267 during the Yuan dynasty when the city was called Dadu and known as Khanbaliq by the Mongols. It was stretched in scale a century later over the Ming and Qing periods. In 1420, Emperor Zhudi, the third ruler of the Ming dynasty, moved his capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and officially designated Beijing as the new imperial capital of the Ming Empire. In 1644, when the Ming Empire collapsed to its end, Beijing subsequently became the capital of the Great Qing Empire under the administration of the Shuntian Prefecture. The Qing emperors followed the traditions of urban planning outlined in the Ming, hence the general layout of the city remained unchanged. 

The name of Edo was allegedly taken from the Japanese word for estuary, the geographic name of Edo can be traced in historical documents recorded during the Kamakura period (1185~1333). As the earliest settlers in the area, the Edo clan claimed ownership of the land in the 12th century, and the location was later known as Edo. The Edo clan lost its power by the end of Muromachi period (1336~1573) and the ownership of the region was taken over by the famous general ōta Dōkan (1432~1486), a military tactician, who was considered as the founder of the castle of Edo. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu was granted lands in the Kanto area. With the advantages of vast landscapes and good water transportation systems, Ieyasu built his stronghold here and constructed his new castle as secure as it could be. In 1603, Ieyasu was awarded the title of Sei-i Taishōgun (Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force Against the Barbarians), and had Edo developed into a political center of Japan. The second Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, Hidetada, succeeded the power from his father Ieyasu and started building the internal stone walls as the core center of the castle of Edo. Streets and blocks within the walls were therewith improved and perfected.

Section Two

Urban life in Beijing and Edo

Being consumption-oriented, both Beijing and Edo were bringing an influx of wealth, goods and talented people into the cities from every corner of the countries. It is not difficult for us to imagine the hustle and bustle of Beijing and Edo from the vivid depictions in the paintings of“Wan Shou Sheng Dian” (Scenes of Emperor Kangxi’s 60th Birthday Celebrations) and “Kidai Shōran” (Excellent Views of Our Prosperous Age) respectively. Various of trades and professions emerged in both cities to accommodate the exuberantly growing demands of people’s needs.

As the result of the progressive development in trades and commerce in Edo by the 18th century, a liberal and open-minded way of thinking played an essential role in the formation of a distinctive, yet unique culture in Japanese society. For example, people in Edo were keen on festivities and ceremonies of worshiping, therefore some events were specifically created to incorporate popular traditional local customs. Moreover, cultural salons embraced people from all social backgrounds to join in. No matter to what social stratification they belonged, noble or not, samurai or civilians, all were welcomed. These cultural salons were powerhouses in recreating, promoting and developing literature, arts and learning, etc.

Section Three

Art and culture in Edo

Tokyo was known as Edo Castle in the 18th century, the political stability and the successful business activities, during this period of time, assured its people a wealthy life and the diverse urban cultures. With the focus on the aesthetic aspect from the aristocrats or the samurai class, the craftsmanship in artistic and cultural works, including calligraphies, paintings, sculptures, lacquer wares, and textiles, progressed to a much higher standard. It was a time that saw not only a legacy of a far-reaching and profound impact on contemporary Japanese art and culture, but also the traditional techniques and craftsmanship in Japanese folk arts which were blending with the essence of foreign artisanship.

Due to various problems and difficulties in trade with China by the end of the Ming dynasty, and the increased market demands in ceramic products from the western world, the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC, established in 1602) started to substitute Chinese ceramic wares for the Japanese ones. The change accelerated the development of the porcelain industry in Japan. Japanese porcelain, a combination of Chinese patterns and Japanese designs, was very much favored by the European aristocracies. Meanwhile, in Japan, lacquer wares were popular items in daily life. They were made as decorations on architecture, furniture, ornaments and gifts. Ukiyo-e is a unique genre of Japanese art, however, the idea of Western realism was widely applied in Ukiyo-e by the Japanese artists to illustrate stories of urban life in the new capital, Edo. As a popular art form among ordinary people, Ukiyo-e works played a part in advocating the humanist values of Japan. The city of Edo had been kept vibrant and alive by all the wonderful and amazing cultures and arts, and the people who created them.

Epilogue

China and Japan are neighbors across the sea. The geographical realities had generated opportunities in improving mutual understandings and relations. They have also been influencing each other with their cultures and arts throughout more than 2000 years of communication. 

Beijing and Tokyo are two famous cities in East Asia with rich culture and history. Maintaining a close relationship and bilateral ties between the two cities has been important in the past 40 years. We hope this exhibition is able to help the audience to experience the urban city life in these two different places at the same period of time in history. Exhibits from Beijing and Tokyo are presented together in contrast within given time frames. Such arrangement is aiming to give the audience an idea of traditions and the culture with which people might not be as familiar as they are with that from their own hometown.

Confucius said that ‘Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors’. Being loyal to friends and charitable to neighbors, are the teachings of Confucianism for neighboring counties, just like Japan and China, in dealing with mutual relations. We wish the two cities - Beijing and Tokyo, and the two countries - China and Japan, a promising future for the years to come!