Introduction
This fonds consists of 100 items donated by Ms. Lan-ying Ku from her family collection. Contents largely center on property transactions in Beijing and Tong county, Zhili, from the Qing dynasty to the early Republican Era of China, with the documents being rich in form, including mortgage deeds, contract documents, building contracts, land title deeds, permits, payment receipts, petitions, and newspaper clippings related to property disputes, along with some family documents.
Regarding the contracts and deeds, they primarily concern properties in the areas of Dapen’er and Shengziku alleys as well as a tract of land in present-day Tong county, Hebei. The earliest and latest records concerning the former alley residence are from 1759 and 1945, respectively; whereas the records of the latter stretch from 1885 to 1946. For the land in Tong county, included records are from 1873 to 1927. As the documents are largely complete and encompass a long period of time, they provide a clear picture of their related property transactions and allow us to observe evolutions in such dealings, differences in currency units, changes in management parties, and how property and land transactions in Beijing shifted from being dealings among bannermen to being those from bannermen to citizens of the state, and ultimately, to becoming property directly benefiting the industries of the people. In addition, this fonds expounds how different regimes from the Qing to the Republican Era handled disputes over property rights and transactions through taxation and certification, thereby providing remarkable insight into the workings of local governments.
Regarding the contracts and deeds, they primarily concern properties in the areas of Dapen’er and Shengziku alleys as well as a tract of land in present-day Tong county, Hebei. The earliest and latest records concerning the former alley residence are from 1759 and 1945, respectively; whereas the records of the latter stretch from 1885 to 1946. For the land in Tong county, included records are from 1873 to 1927. As the documents are largely complete and encompass a long period of time, they provide a clear picture of their related property transactions and allow us to observe evolutions in such dealings, differences in currency units, changes in management parties, and how property and land transactions in Beijing shifted from being dealings among bannermen to being those from bannermen to citizens of the state, and ultimately, to becoming property directly benefiting the industries of the people. In addition, this fonds expounds how different regimes from the Qing to the Republican Era handled disputes over property rights and transactions through taxation and certification, thereby providing remarkable insight into the workings of local governments.