Researchers have recently begun to pay much attention to the issues of socio-cultural transformation. Among them, an important role is assigned to the study of the history of everyday life. Since the Russian Orthodox Church had a permanent mission compound in Beijing since the 18th century, its representatives learned about the peculiarities of life and traditions of the local population. This article describes the appearance of Beijing and the daily life of the Chinese as seen by the members of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing.

The article was written using the Russian State Historical Archive, Fund 728 "Ministry of Foreign Affairs ". It contains a considerable amount of documents about the activities of the mission in Beijing: materials describing the life and activities of the local population, the appearance of the city in the second half of the XVIII-first half of the XIX century, the interaction of missionaries and local residents in the spiritual, economic and socio-cultural spheres.

Keywords: material culture, Russian spiritual mission in China, Beijing.

Beijing, being the capital of the Qing Empire, had a special appearance with a different material culture from the European one. The Peking missionary compound of the Russian Orthodox Church is a harmonious blend of the city's architecture. Located in the northern part of Beijing, it, like all other buildings, was surrounded by a high thick wall with massive towers. Traffic between the suburbs and the inner part of the city was carried out through gates that were locked at night, and passed near the farmstead. The streets of Beijing were a maze due to the lack of planning. The head of the sixth mission, Archimandrite Nikolai (Tsvet), wrote in his report for 1771: "Streets in Beijing are simply called dirt roads, dug up by deep ruts, pits and mounds. They are bordered by blank walls of houses mixed with wastelands, ruins, swamps, debris and piles of garbage " [RGIA, f. 728, l. 4].

He noted: "From the height of the city walls, you can't see the unattractive details of houses and ugly pictures of street life, but the overall impression of the city is no better. The eye glides over a solid, crowded mass of gray, steep roofs, occasionally interrupted by green oases of gardens. Upon our arrival here, we have never seen what makes Russian cities beautiful and diverse-gilded domes of temples, monuments, columns, beautiful buildings, etc." [RGIA, f.728, l. 9]. The appearance of the streets was brightened by the rarely seen large wooden colored gates on stone curtains. Archimandrite Nicholas (Color) he pointed out: "Europeans who are not familiar with the original Chinese traditions, of course, will not guess that this construction was caused by feats of virtue, marital fidelity, and filial piety" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 19]. Each street had a poetic name: pearl, jasper, flower, dragon, gate of eternal peace, five spirits or elegant syllable.

The streets of Beijing had a lively appearance due to the incessant movement of pedestrians and carriages, as well as because "the Chinese do not like to stay at home and prefer to do all their business in the open air" [Timkovsky, 1824, p.91]. A large number of open shops, workshops, and small factories were scattered throughout the city. They were engaged in various handicraft production. Paper awnings were stretched over all the streets. Mules, horses, and buffaloes in harnesses and under packs were standing, lying, and moving among the people who were sitting, eating, walking, and doing various things, and dogs and pigs were wandering around, which, according to the missionaries, was not typical of the Russian capital [RGIA, p. 728, l. 2].

Chinese shops and workshops opened at sunrise and closed at sunset. Due to the lack of lighting, the streets were plunged into darkness after the shops closed. There were paper lanterns on the main streets of Beijing, but they didn't provide much light. They were also used as lighting devices on the territory of the farmstead [RGIA, f. 728, l. 10].

The Chinese only went out at night or late at night in cases of extreme necessity, because they were afraid of the dark, thieves and evil spirits, and therefore preferred to finish all their business during the day [Timkovsky, 1824, p. 152]. Archimandrite Sophrony (Gribovsky) wrote in his report for 1799:: "For us, night is the only time when we can walk through the streets without disgust: the night cover hides the filth and filth of the city's desolation; the dust that has settled down does not clog the eyes and does not tickle the throat; the city is spared from the importunity of beggars, and you do not hear insulting epithets and curses of passers-by; even the stench seems to be felt less. The negative side of night walks are numerous packs of street dogs that attack passers-by, but against them you can always stock up with an umbrella or a stick" [RGIA, f. 728, l.5].

Street and peddling was one of the leading sources of income for the Chinese. The mission members compiled a detailed list of street crafts. First in it, both in number and value, were the food carriers. They attracted the attention of customers with loud shouts denoting the type of goods sold and their quality. There were especially many peddlers of bread and flour products. The head of the mission, Sofrony (Gribovsky), noted in the report: "Chinese bread has nothing in common with our bread, either in taste or appearance. These are mostly raw tortillas that resemble lumps of dough or paste. All varieties of Chinese bread are very heavy due to the lack of yeast, which is sometimes replaced by soda. The best bakers in Beijing are considered to be Muslims" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 5]. In addition to unleavened tortillas and pancakes, rolls with sesame seeds, dumplings, and pork fat pies with meat, fish, or garlic fillings were common [RGIA, f. 728, l. 6]. All baked goods were placed in open trays attached to a yoke, or hung around the merchant's neck. In addition to flour merchants, soup merchants were also common. The most popular soups in Beijing were rice, bean, cabbage, and barley stews. The same peddlers sold baked and boiled potatoes, which were the most common food of every resident of Beijing in autumn and winter [RGIA, f. 728, l.13]. Along with potatoes, the mission's cost estimates included beans, vegetable oil, salt, and tea. Meat was rarely bought by missionaries [RGIA, p. 728, p. 46].

Most Chinese dishes were made on the street in open kitchens among passers-by or passers-by. The cooking devices were simple and consisted of a long yoke to which two round wooden crates were attached. In one of them there was a small brazier on which there was a pot of soup or porridge, in the other-ready meals, soy-a mandatory seasoning for Chinese dinners, cups and chopsticks. In cases when the tortillas, pies, noodles prepared in the morning were sold out, the traveling chef proceeded to

to resume their daily menu, buying the necessary provisions right on the street or in the nearest shop [RGIA, f. 728, l. 14].

In the list, next to flour vendors, there were sellers of fruits, vegetables, and treats sold on trays and baskets. Mission members repeatedly bought Chinese candies, candied apples, sweet dragees, fried chestnuts, nuts in honey, jelly, rice figurines, dried fruits. Together with sweets, merchants sold toys made of paper, wood, tin, and, as Archimandrite Iakinf (Bichurin)noted in the report for 1811, "in the manufacture of toys, Chinese craftsmen are not inferior to our artisans" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 90].

Next on the list were lottery ticket sellers, "who had a large income due to the yellow-skinned people's passion for gambling and fortune-telling" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 91]. The draw was held using sticks with numbers, which were lowered into a leather cylinder. The numbers on the sticks corresponded to the numbers of the goods being played. Anyone wishing to experience happiness for a few coins could take out three sticks from the basket, and if the combination of numbers corresponded to the number of any displayed product, then the winner received this prize. It was possible to win items of porcelain and earthenware in a street lottery [Timkovsky, 1824, p. 41].

On the streets of Beijing, you could not only get enough, but also get dressed, buy all the toilet parts from traveling vendors. The dress could be purchased new or second-hand from junk dealers, who sold things not only for money, but also in exchange. In cases where the dress or shoes were torn, they could be repaired by contacting a "street seamstress" or shoemaker. Mission members noted that the craft supplies of these specialists consisted of threads, needles, awls, and pieces of leather placed in small baskets and carried on the shoulder. The repair took place in front of the customer, who could thus see the quality of the work [Timkovsky, 1824, p.60]. Members of the mission equated sellers of shoes, that is, the upper part of the shoe, with dress merchants, since the sole and insole made of felt were sold separately [RGIA, f. 728, l.102]. Women's shoes in Beijing were made to order, men's shoes were bought ready-made.

The hairdressing business had numerous street representatives. Despite the fact that Beijing had closed barbers, most of the population still used the services provided on the streets. Representatives of this craft carried with them wooden benches intended for the consumer, scissors, a razor and two copper basins. In one of them, a small brazier warmed shaving water. The head of the tenth mission, Archimandrite Peter (Kamensky), wrote in his report for 1828:: "In Peking, the whole procedure of shaving, unwinding, carding and plaiting hair, cleaning the ears and eyes, and washing the face was performed on the street, and usually in the most brisk and, consequently, dusty places" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 98]. In the list of specialists, not the last place was occupied by corn operators who also practice outdoors. Archimandrite Peter (Kamensky) noted in the same report:: "For some reason, this profession is considered honorable in Beijing, while the occupation of a barber is considered reprehensible. The latter are equated with executioners, actors and prostitutes. By the way, the most honorable professions here are considered to be book trade and jewelry making " [RGIA, f. 728, l. 109].

Some outdoor services were provided by the mission all year round. These included trading in water, coal, and kitchenware, as well as locksmithing, blacksmithing, and carpentry. At the same time, some goods were consumed seasonally by missionaries. For example, in spring they bought ice for the cellars, and in summer they bought a specific Chinese drink-sweet and sour plum juice "like our fruit water or kvass" [RGIA, p. 728, p. 134]. Members of the tenth Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing learned to prepare this drink on their own from yellow dried plums, sugar, rose leaf and cinnamon, thanks to which they annually reduced the consumption of missionary food.

treasury for 10 rubles. Seasonal purchases of missionaries include purchases of summer straw hats, paper umbrellas, awning mats, horse and buff hair fans, and fans. Archimandrite Peter (Kamensky) wrote in an 1829 report: "Mats are an essential part of Chinese life. They use them instead of carpets and mattresses, for sheds and roofs. Mats are used to build theater buildings and fairgrounds. The poor build huts out of mats, in which they live all year round " [RGIA, f. 728, l. 6]. During the spring and autumn seasons, mission members bought flowers for the temple, mostly chrysanthemums. In winter, fresh flowers were replaced with artificial ones made of paper, satin, and silk.

Missionaries also purchased haberdashery goods (braid, frills, ribbons, brushes, thread, laces), embroidery, and cloth from flower merchants (mostly women). According to V. P. Korsakov, missionaries also bought shoelaces for making loops, since the Chinese did not use split loops [Korsakov, 1902, p.91]. Members of the mission bought embroidery to update curtains, blankets, screens, and official clothing, "because in China each layer, each profession, is assigned a special sewing or embroidery" (Korsakov, 1902, p. 95). The category of seasonal services provided by the mission in the fall includes cleaning felt and felt hats. In winter, a large item of expenditure for mission members was the purchase of" coal land", which was a mixture of clay and coal dust and was necessary for the preparation of coal briquettes, which were fuel for heating mission buildings [Douglas, 1983, p.80].

Mission members noted the original marketing moves used by merchants. So, to attract the attention of customers, they were not content with shouting alone, but in most cases resorted to musical instruments: brass tambourines, bells, pipes, cymbals, beaters, rattles, drums [RGIA, f. 728, l.43]. Some merchants, such as knife grinders, drew attention to themselves both by shouting and by the sound of clattering iron plates. Archimandrite Peter (Kamensky) in his report for 1830 noted: "The Chinese grinder does not have a grinding wheel and sharpens things on a large limestone that he carries with him. Imitating him, carpenters attract the attention of ordinary people by shouting: I'm fixing tables, chairs, benches! I'm fixing my umbrellas! " [RGIA, f. 728, l. 47]. The oil sellers were announcing their approach with a mallet. For the needs of the farmstead, sesame, hemp, wood, and bean oils were purchased, which were delivered to the mission in wooden barrels. A bell tinkled to announce itself to the seller of bone products. Missionaries usually used his services before leaving for Russia both to purchase gifts: combs, hairpins, brushes, tongue scrapers and other small items, and for their own needs, for example, to buy glasses. All the goods of sellers of bone products were placed in brightly colored or gilded cases [RGIA, f. 728, l. 50].

A special place in the list of specialties was occupied by sellers of portable stoves used for cooking food, pottery - cups, pots, vats. A broken dish mending master completes the list of Chinese artisans. Archimandrite Peter (Kamensky) outlined the essence of his work: "The broken ware repairman is engaged in fastening cuttings with tin and copper plates. The painstaking and lengthy process of riveting at least twenty fragments does not frighten the painstaking Chinese, who, moreover, highly appreciates his work" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 112]. Here he also pointed out: "Our list of artisans also includes blacksmithing. Blacksmiths who were repeatedly invited to the farmstead brought with them a small anvil, fur, a brazier, a hammer and a basket of coal. This was new for all of us, since in Russia blacksmiths occupy specially arranged premises for work" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 115].

Among the craft specialties, a separate place in the list compiled by the mission members belonged to water carriers. They're on two barrels attached to a wheelbarrow,

they supplied water to Peking homes, including the mission compound. In addition to the services of a water carrier, missionaries could receive water from public wells located in the streets and squares of the city for a small fee. Archimandrite Veniamin (Moracheyev), head of the eleventh Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing, noted in his report for 1837:: "Water in public wells, due to poor equipment and carelessness of the population, is almost always contaminated with organic particles seeping through the soil" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 21].

In addition to mobile trade in Beijing, there was the sale of goods in shops. Some merchants built their trading places out of simple materials: planks, mats, and reeds. Most of the shops had several owners. To open your own shop, you had to pay a small fee to the treasury and get permission from the city police. Most of the shops were owned by iron merchants who sold nails, braziers, pewter and brass plates, mortars, pots, staples, and locks. Also, shops were opened by wig sellers. Their assortment mainly included braids, since they were a necessary element of the appearance of a Chinese man [Ikonnikova, 2010, p. 173]. In his report for 1838, Archimandrite Veniamin (Moracheyev) wrote:: "There are also shops for rat poisoners, who, to our general disgust, as proof of the strength of the poison they sell, lay out a whole batch of dead rodents on an old box that improvises a table. Next to the dead rats are piles of books and pamphlets; these are mostly cheap editions of bad novels and theater plays." 728, l. 47]. Here he also noted: "Individual shops are occupied by merchants of art trinkets, which include jewelry, toilet accessories, pipes of various lengths and shapes, snuffboxes of jasper, glass, crystal and wood, rings, bracelets, belt buckles, buttons, hairpins with coral heads, pieces of turtle shell, ivory, malachite" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 55]. Near the city gate there were shops selling whips, whips, ropes, thongs, and other saddlery wares to passing muleteers and dray drivers. Sometimes the mission members exchanged European items with money changers for the Chinese goods they needed. Tin cans of canned food and empty bottles were in particular demand among money changers [RGIA, f. 728, l. 13].

A separate category of traders in the Beijing market was made up of bird and dog traders. The bird seller was holding several perches on which various songbirds and non-songbirds were sitting, tied by their legs. Some merchants sold only birds of prey used by the Chinese for hunting. Archimandrite Polikarp (Tugarinov) wrote in a report for 1841: "It must be borne in mind that all Chinese people, without distinction of age or condition, are very fond of birds, with which they nurse and tinker ridiculously. As in our country one walks with a dog, so the Chinaman walks with his favorite bird, which usually sits on a perch or in a round wooden cage, covered in a warm cotton case in the cold season. Many yellow-faced people love their birds so much that they carry them everywhere with them, even if they go on business or to work" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 18]. Mission members who repeatedly met with Chinese officials noted that during their work, they attached a cage or perch with a bird close to them, so that they could talk and play with it [RGIA, f. 728, l. 6]. During their arrival in Beijing, one of the mission's first impressions was of birds, as they explored the city and encountered groups of Chinese people walking around with birds in their hands. The head of the twelfth mission, Archimandrite Polikarp (Tugarinov), in his report for 1848, noted:: "Everywhere we met poultry houses are peculiar athletes who extol the talents of their birds in front of each other, untie them, let them fly freely or on a long string" [RGIA, f. 728,

L. 23]. There were dog vendors near the bird vendors. According to members of the ecclesiastical mission, the Chinese were very fond of small dogs.

In the warmer months, these vendors were joined by cricket vendors who sat in large bamboo cages, while the sold specimen was placed in a special paper cap or reed cage. Archimandrite Polikarp (Tugarinov) in his report for 1846 said:: "The Chinese man's love of crickets serves as some illustration of his peaceful tendencies. The Chinaman is amused by the chirping and rattling of this insect; he arranges a special house for the cricket, feeds it and grooms it" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 30]. In addition to the small musical ones, the Chinese bought large war crickets. Cricket fights were one of the national entertainments in China. The cricket arena was a saucer. Opponents were tickled with a straw and annoyed, after which they threw themselves at each other with rage. The battle cricket, which won several victories, was valued very dearly [Ryadovoy, 2009, p. 191].

In their sermons, members of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing tried to fight "street industrialists who exploit the ignorance and credulity of the people" [RGIA, f. 728, l. 14]. This category of merchants included medicine men, fortune tellers, and sorcerers. Consultation or divination took place on the street, among the crowd of onlookers and curious people who wanted to know their fate or try out the healing properties of the offered medicines.

The missionaries were able to make a partial study of the history and culture of Beijing thanks to street storytellers. The story was told in the open air. The subjects of street narratives were legends, historical events, folk comedies, moral stories, fables. Sometimes the narrator touched on topics of the day and politics, often without hesitation criticizing the current order, officials and the government. Archimandrite Polikarp (Tugarinov) wrote in a report for 1834: "I was told that many of these storytellers are agents of various secret societies and use the form of the story to conduct anti-government agitation, spreading among the people the most incendiary theories and anti-monarchical views" [RGIA, f. 728, l.35]. The mission members 'study of Chinese culture was facilitated by traveling artists playing marionettes in puppet theaters and performing "simple comedies like our Petrushka", magicians, acrobats [RGIA, f. 728, l.17].

Thus, the members of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, while in Beijing, studied the traditions and customs of China. Their contribution to the study of Chinese material culture and its peculiarities was highly appreciated both in the Russian Empire and in other European countries.

list of literature

Gryadovoy D. I. Kitay [China]. Moscow: Prsss-INFO Publ., 2009.

Ikonnikova G. I. Drevnyj mir [The Ancient World]. China. Moscow: Drevo Publ., 2010.

Korsakov V. V. Five years in Beijing: from observations on the way of life and the life of the Chinese. St. Petersburg: Tipografiya Yu. A. Mansflf, 1902.

RGIA (Russian State Historical Archive). F. 728. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On. 39. d. 4; On. 91. D. 44; Op. 91. D. 45; Op. 103. D. 20; Op. 120. D. 3; On. 122. D. 8; Op. 125. D. 6; On. 129. D. 1; Op. 132. 20; Op. 137. D. 1; Op. 137. D. 7; Op. 137. D. 8; Op. 144. D. 18; Op. 145. D. 9; Op. 149. D. 10; Op. 192. D. 22; Op. 193. D. 2; Op. 193. d. 7.

Timkovsky E. F. Journey to China through Mongolia in 1820 and 1821 Vol. 2. SPb.: Bussel's Typolithography, 1824.

Douglas R. Society in China. N.Y.: PRESSMEDIA, 1983.

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