Examining a 1930s Photo of Beiping's Late-Qing Literati Housed in the Capital Museum

The Capital Museum houses a 1930s Photo of Beiping's Late-Qing Literati during the Republic of China era. It is a commemoration of the Lotus Birthday Festival gathering held by late-Qing literati-officials—including Chen Baochen, Ke Shaomin, Wang Shunan, Zhu Yifan, Wu Jingxiu, Lin Kaimo, Yuan Lizhun, Yang Zhongxi, Fu Zengxiang, and Hong Yi at Huixian Hall by Shichahai. Through textual research on the date, location, attendees, and context of this scholarly assembly, this study reveals how kinship, regional ties, and professional bonds among these Beijing-based elites persisted from the late Qing into the Republican era. Facing turbulent times beyond their control, they sustained their cultural identity through compiling scholarly works, poetic exchanges, and refined gatherings—simultaneously daily life and important social activities.