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The Jade Empire - Settings and Lore
- Thread starter Louanne Learning
- Start date
The Walled Chinese City in Shanghai, 1858
The walled Chinese city in Shanghai—commonly referred to as the Old City or Nanshi—was a dense and bustling urban center surrounded by a stone wall built during the Ming Dynasty (late 16th century). It represented the historical and cultural heart of Shanghai before the city’s rapid expansion due to foreign influence and treaty port development.
1. Physical Layout and Structure
The walled Chinese city in Shanghai—commonly referred to as the Old City or Nanshi—was a dense and bustling urban center surrounded by a stone wall built during the Ming Dynasty (late 16th century). It represented the historical and cultural heart of Shanghai before the city’s rapid expansion due to foreign influence and treaty port development.
1. Physical Layout and Structure
- City Wall: The wall was approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) in circumference, with a height of about 10 meters (30 feet). It was fortified with six main gates (four cardinal and two smaller ones) and a moat encircling it for defense.
- Gate Names: Notable gates included the Dàjìng Gate and Xiaonan Gate.
- Street Plan: The streets were narrow and winding, in contrast to the grid systems of Western settlements. They were crowded and lively, filled with pedestrians, carts, and street vendors.
- Buildings: Most buildings were low-rise, constructed of wood and brick, with tile roofs. Residences, shops, temples, and teahouses were tightly packed.
- Markets and Commerce: The city was a hub of commerce with traditional Chinese markets, guildhalls, herbalists, craftspeople, and small-scale industry.
- Temples and Culture: It housed important temples such as the City God Temple (Chenghuang Miao), a center for local worship and community events.
- The walled city was predominantly Han Chinese, in contrast to the newly established foreign concessions just outside its walls, which began forming after the Treaty of Nanjing (1842).
- Residents lived in close-knit neighborhoods often centered around clan associations or trades.
The City God Temple within the walled Chinese City
Within the walled city of Shanghai in 1858, Chinese temples remained essential pillars of religious, social, and communal life, operating largely as they had for centuries—even as foreign powers pressed at the city’s edges. Though the British and other foreigners had carved out their own modernizing enclaves just beyond the city walls, the temples of Shanghai remained deeply rooted in traditional Chinese cosmology and society.
The Chenghuang Miao (City God Temple), a Daoist temple, was located at the heart of the walled city. Both a religious and civic hub, local officials and commoners alike made offerings there, especially during festivals or times of crisis (flood, disease, political unrest).
Layout followed classical Chinese design: a central axis with multiple halls, side wings, incense burners in the courtyards, and high, tiled roofs with upturned eaves. Red and gold were dominant colors, symbolizing luck and imperial favor.
Personnel: Temples were staffed by monks, Daoist priests, or lay custodians. They performed daily rituals, maintained altars, accepted offerings, and interpreted omens or dreams for the faithful.
Visitors: Worshippers came to:
Temples were thus not just spiritual hubs, but also economic and cultural centers, especially important in a crowded, urban space like Shanghai’s old city.
Within the walled city of Shanghai in 1858, Chinese temples remained essential pillars of religious, social, and communal life, operating largely as they had for centuries—even as foreign powers pressed at the city’s edges. Though the British and other foreigners had carved out their own modernizing enclaves just beyond the city walls, the temples of Shanghai remained deeply rooted in traditional Chinese cosmology and society.
The Chenghuang Miao (City God Temple), a Daoist temple, was located at the heart of the walled city. Both a religious and civic hub, local officials and commoners alike made offerings there, especially during festivals or times of crisis (flood, disease, political unrest).
Layout followed classical Chinese design: a central axis with multiple halls, side wings, incense burners in the courtyards, and high, tiled roofs with upturned eaves. Red and gold were dominant colors, symbolizing luck and imperial favor.
Personnel: Temples were staffed by monks, Daoist priests, or lay custodians. They performed daily rituals, maintained altars, accepted offerings, and interpreted omens or dreams for the faithful.
Visitors: Worshippers came to:
- Burn incense and pray for health, success, and protection
- Make offerings to deities or ancestors
- Consult temple priests for fortune-telling, dream interpretation, or feng shui advice
- Participate in temple fairs and seasonal festivals
Temples were thus not just spiritual hubs, but also economic and cultural centers, especially important in a crowded, urban space like Shanghai’s old city.
The British Concession (Quarter) of Shanghai in 1858
The British quarter of Shanghai—also known as the British Concession—was a key part of the emerging Shanghai International Settlement, a semi-colonial district governed by Western powers after the Treaty of Nanjing (1842) and the Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue (1843), which opened Shanghai to foreign trade following the First Opium War.
By 1858, the British quarter was still developing but already central to Shanghai’s growing role as a global port. The concession was located north of the old Chinese city (which remained walled and segregated) and was bordered by Suzhou Creek to the north and the Huangpu River to the east. The Bund, the riverfront promenade, was beginning to take shape as the heart of foreign commercial activity.
Features of the British Concession
Architecture: The concession featured neoclassical buildings, Georgian townhouses, and warehouses constructed in brick and stone—quite distinct from the traditional Chinese wooden and tiled structures. Buildings were often two- or three-story with colonnades, reflecting British colonial aesthetics.
Infrastructure: Streets in the concession were wider and more orderly than those in the Chinese city. While drainage and sanitation were poor by modern standards, they were better than in the surrounding areas. British authorities had begun improving roads and installing gas lamps and rudimentary sewer systems.
Social Structure: The British community consisted of merchants, traders, diplomats, missionaries, and a small number of military personnel. The opium trade was still a major economic force. Local Chinese residents often worked as servants, laborers, or intermediaries, and a few Chinese merchants gained wealth by dealing with British firms.
Institutions: British governance was informal but influential. The British Consul acted as the de facto authority, and British subjects were exempt from Chinese law due to extraterritoriality. By 1858, British settlers had established:
Security: After the Small Sword Society uprising (1853–55), foreign powers—including the British—became more assertive in patrolling and defending their quarters. The quarter had its own guards and relied on the presence of British Naval vessels anchored nearby.
The British Concession of Shanghai in 1858 had the feel of an imperial outpost: alien, opportunistic, and self-assured. British nationals lived a life that was both privileged and insulated from the realities of the native Chinese city just beyond their borders. The contrast between the British enclave and the Chinese urban fabric was stark—physically, culturally, and politically.
The British quarter of Shanghai—also known as the British Concession—was a key part of the emerging Shanghai International Settlement, a semi-colonial district governed by Western powers after the Treaty of Nanjing (1842) and the Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue (1843), which opened Shanghai to foreign trade following the First Opium War.
By 1858, the British quarter was still developing but already central to Shanghai’s growing role as a global port. The concession was located north of the old Chinese city (which remained walled and segregated) and was bordered by Suzhou Creek to the north and the Huangpu River to the east. The Bund, the riverfront promenade, was beginning to take shape as the heart of foreign commercial activity.
Features of the British Concession
Architecture: The concession featured neoclassical buildings, Georgian townhouses, and warehouses constructed in brick and stone—quite distinct from the traditional Chinese wooden and tiled structures. Buildings were often two- or three-story with colonnades, reflecting British colonial aesthetics.
Infrastructure: Streets in the concession were wider and more orderly than those in the Chinese city. While drainage and sanitation were poor by modern standards, they were better than in the surrounding areas. British authorities had begun improving roads and installing gas lamps and rudimentary sewer systems.
Social Structure: The British community consisted of merchants, traders, diplomats, missionaries, and a small number of military personnel. The opium trade was still a major economic force. Local Chinese residents often worked as servants, laborers, or intermediaries, and a few Chinese merchants gained wealth by dealing with British firms.
Institutions: British governance was informal but influential. The British Consul acted as the de facto authority, and British subjects were exempt from Chinese law due to extraterritoriality. By 1858, British settlers had established:
- Churches (notably Anglican)
- Clubs (e.g., the Shanghai Club)
- Schools for expatriate children
- Newspapers, like the North-China Herald
Security: After the Small Sword Society uprising (1853–55), foreign powers—including the British—became more assertive in patrolling and defending their quarters. The quarter had its own guards and relied on the presence of British Naval vessels anchored nearby.
The British Concession of Shanghai in 1858 had the feel of an imperial outpost: alien, opportunistic, and self-assured. British nationals lived a life that was both privileged and insulated from the realities of the native Chinese city just beyond their borders. The contrast between the British enclave and the Chinese urban fabric was stark—physically, culturally, and politically.
Rennie Macpherson is a character introduced in the opening post of the official story. He was born in Scotland and retains some of the flavour of a Scottish accent. We don't want to overdo it, but just pepper his dialogue with a few Scottish intonations.
Here's some guidelines if you plan on writing dialogue for Rennie:
You = ye
Of = o'
No = nae
Yes = aye
And = an'
Cannot = canna
Will not = willna
Would not = wouldna
Should not =- shouldna
Here's some guidelines if you plan on writing dialogue for Rennie:
You = ye
Of = o'
No = nae
Yes = aye
And = an'
Cannot = canna
Will not = willna
Would not = wouldna
Should not =- shouldna
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