Introduction: Jiangning Weaving, run by Cao Xueqin’s grandfather Cao Yin, was actually Emperor Kangxi’s “intelligence agency” in Jiangnan; as early as the Qing Dynasty, Nanjing’s salted duck had become a nationally renowned delicacy; in the late Qing Dynasty, Nanjing had urban firefighting

System "Water Dragon Bureau" and strictly ordered "the manufacture of firecrackers and firecrackers is prohibited in downtown areas"... "General History of Nanjing? Volume of the Qing Dynasty" has a total of 600,000 words. It contains many anecdotes and secrets. It can be called an encyclopedia for understanding Nanjing in the Qing Dynasty.

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Jiangning Weaving was actually an "intelligence station" where Cao Yin "monitored" Jiangnan officialdom for Kangxi. A "Dream of Red Mansions" made people remember Jiangning Weaving in Nanjing.

Among the successive Jiangning weavers, Cao Xueqin’s grandfather Cao Yin was the one most trusted by the emperor.

However, Cao Yin's main mission was not to pay tribute to silk and satin to the court, but another special task: secretly collecting intelligence.

"General History of Nanjing? Volume of the Qing Dynasty" mentioned that Kangxi repeatedly told Cao Yin: "In the future, if you hear about small local things, you must report them in a secret way." In order for Cao Yin to serve as his eyes and ears in Jiangnan for a long time,

Kangxi deliberately changed the method set by the Shunzhi Dynasty that Jiangning weaving should be replaced every year or every three years, to an unlimited term.

Among the 3,119 memorials included in the "Compilation of Memorials in Chinese and Zhu Biao of the Kangxi Dynasty", there are 619 secret memorials written by Cao Yin and Suzhou Weaver Li Xu, which is close to one-fifth of the total.

The two men's memorials included not only local agricultural conditions, market conditions and grain prices, but also major issues such as the privacy of officials and gentry, public uprisings learned through interviews, and very few contents related to weaving affairs.

Cao Yin's memorials report on major events in the Jiangnan officialdom and among the people in the middle and late Kangxi years, such as the Jiangnan robbery case in the 46th year of Kangxi, the deposed crown prince Yinyi incident in the 47th year, the Jiangnan Science Court case in the 50th year,

The case of Prince Zhu San and so on, Kangxi's trust in the Cao family can be seen from this.

Jiangning Zhizaofu Salted Duck was a "top delicacy" in the Qing Dynasty. An official from Guangdong moved to Nanjing for the feast. Nanjing's delicacies were also famous in the Qing Dynasty. Today's Jinling specialty salted duck was already famous throughout the country at that time.

According to historical records, the two most famous delicacies in Nanjing during the Qing Dynasty were "Early Spring Salted Duck" and "Winter Bucket Chicken", and there were a dazzling array of duck products.

"Kill and remove its hair, and it will grow in the market", it is called crystal duck; "It is roasted with a fork, the skin will be red but not burnt", it is called roasted duck; "Spread sauce on the skin and cook to make the stomach penetrate", it is called sauce

Duck... However, these duck products are not as famous as salted duck.

Diners at that time regarded salted duck as the "supreme product" and described its taste as "light but juicy, fat but not strong". In winter, it could also be pickled with salt to make salted duck.

During the Daoguang period, a Guangdong official named Feng Zhen even lived in Nanjing in order to be able to eat salted duck, and wrote an article praising "the duck shells produced in Jinling are the best in the world."

Nanjing's aquatic products in the Qing Dynasty also had seasonal famous products: saury in spring, anchovies in summer, crabs in autumn, and crucian carp in winter.

At that time, puffer fish was also produced in Nanjing, but due to its poisonous nature, the government banned trading in the city.

During the Qianlong Dynasty, a "Water Dragon Bureau" was set up to extinguish fires. "Firefighters" were rewarded more than 1,000 yuan for firefighting. As early as the Qing Dynasty, Nanjing had established an urban fire protection system, but the name was not called the Fire Brigade, but the "Water Dragon Bureau".

The Water Dragon Bureau in Nanjing was established during the Qianlong period, but was destroyed by the Taiping War. It was not until 1870 that the Water Dragon Bureau was restored through donations raised by the gentry in the city.

According to reports, the "firemen" of the Water Dragon Bureau are divided into two types: dragon bearers and water bearers. A water dragon must be equipped with ten buckets to follow.

The "water dragon" was the main tool for fighting fires at that time. It consisted of a large oval wooden barrel, two copper piston cylinders and a horizontal wooden rod. When used, the horizontal wooden rod was activated to drive the piston, and the pressure was used to spray water from the water conveyor belt.

According to historical records, fires occurred frequently in Nanjing during the late Qing Dynasty. From 1875 to 1903, there were 513 fires in the city.

In order to cope with the fire-prone situation, Li Hongzhang, then the governor of Liangjiang, purchased four new Yangshui Dragons from the Shanghai Marine Artillery Bureau to prepare for emergency needs.

At that time, the "fireman" who was responsible for operating the water hose would receive a bounty of 1,400 coins for each fire he put out.

At that time, the Green Camp Army, Hunan Army, Huai Army and other troops stationed in Ning also participated in putting out the fire. They were mainly responsible for maintaining order at the fire scene, assisting the water dragon bureau in transporting water, or pulling down burning buildings with hooks to prevent the spread of fire.

From the late Tongzhi to the early Guangxu years, Mei Qizhao, the governor of Jiangning, implemented the Taiping water tank system in Nanjing. Each water dragon bureau had 10 Taiping water tanks in its jurisdiction, and each tank could store 20 tons of water for fire fighting.

In addition, the government is also trying to eliminate fire hazards.

At the end of the 19th century, the government issued an "order banning the production of firecrackers in busy cities" and forcibly moved the firecracker shops to a secluded area in the north of the city.