Remembrance of Beijing: Folklore Description and City Memories in the Dijing jingwulüe（帝京景物略）

From a world history point of view, Beijing is a city never to be neglected. Whether in terms of the formation and accumulation of regional experiences, the retrospection of its history as a capital city, or the sacred landscapes it hosts, Beijing has always been the focus of attention in Ming-Qing literary and cultural studies. Through an in-depth examination of the Dijing jingwulüe, this study reveals Beijing’s folkloristic character in addition to its history as the capital of the empire. More precisely, this study investigates the compilation of the Dijing jingwulüe, analyzing how it, through the elaboration of the folklore and the material in Beijing, projects a prosperous image of the city. In general, this study focuses particularly on folklore description, hoping to sketch out Beijing’s folklife and cultural memories, there by contemplating on the craftsmanship and meaning interpretation in Ming-Qing city writing.