Chronicles of the Spring Festival in Old Beijing What are the old rules for celebrating the Spring Festival in old Beijing? Some are legends, some are heard, especially for us at the beginning of this century, some old methods with unique customs and interests have become more or less distant and mysterious to us today. To this end, we traveled through the time tunnel, conducted "interviews" with their personal experiences, and compiled such a story to provide a basis for holiday gossip and arguments. During the Lunar New Year, every household has a lot of things to do. Since the beginning of the Lunar New Year, literati have been writing Spring Festival couplets under the eaves of the market in order to make some money during the New Year. After offering sacrifices to the stove, the New Year couplets were gradually hung up, giving thousands of households a new look. Some people use red paper, some use red paper. Only the inner court and the royal family, princes, etc., use white paper as usual with red and blue edges. Non-clan members are not allowed to use it. In the twelfth lunar month, the plum blossoms are tied up in a small utensil and placed about five feet on the ground. They burn a fire to make the ground slightly warm, and the plum blossoms gradually turn white. They are caged with paper and sold in the market. Xiaotao and Yuli , welcome the Spring Festival can be like this. In a prosperous place, a mat booth is set up to sell paintings. Women and children competed to buy them for fun. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people selling Laba porridge and fruits were lined up on the streets. There are also walnuts, persimmons, red dates, chestnuts, Ganoderma lucidum and dried rice, which are stored in baskets on shoulders and hawked endlessly. Then there are fat pheasants, Guandong fish, wild cats, wild cockroaches, bacon, iron birds, fried dumplings, giant Buddha flowers, Doukuo Qianzhang, Louzizhuang Yuanbao, etc. After the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, people sell protective paintings, door gods, hanging coins, gold and silver foil, ingots of gold coins, sold gold ingots, horse-burning paper, glass mirrors, and windows. ...... The bank's silver is exchanged for new year's gold and silver - Xiaomeihua Begonia Yuanbao. After the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, sugar melons, sugar cakes, glutinous rice cakes, and Guandong sugar are sold. The bad grass and beans are sent to the stove for the horse on the 23rd. There are also those who sell copper and silver to make porcelain bowls and incense burners and candlesticks; those who make gourds to save money for children; those who hold pots and pans to help the kitchen master. After the twenty-fifth day, sell sesame straw, pine and cypress branches, and Atractylodes atractylodes for "simmering". In the twelfth lunar month, the price of everything is more expensive than usual, so there is a proverb that "in the twelfth lunar month, water and soil are three times more expensive." At this time, the elderly always tell the younger generations to be careful with their money, so there is a proverb of "Two, seven, eight, even the best is the best". The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the royal day, and every family cooks fruit porridge. The rice and beans prepared the day before should be carved into the life style of characters. When the porridge is ready at midnight, the whole family gathers for dinner and gives it to relatives and neighbors as Laba porridge. Laba porridge is made of yellow rice, white rice, river rice, millet, Ganoderma lucidum rice, chestnuts, red cowpeas, peeled jujube paste, etc., boiled with water, and dyed with red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanut kernels, hazelnut stems, pine nuts and white sugar. , red dates, grapes, etc., used for coloring. Avoid using lotus seeds, lentils, barley, diaoyuan, etc., as they may damage the taste. Once every seven days, peel the fruits and wash them, and work all night until the porridge is ready at dawn. Except for offering sacrifices to ancestors and Buddha, and giving gifts to relatives and friends, no one eats after noon. Red dates, walnuts, etc. are also used to make lions, boys, etc., which shows its ingenuity. An ice cellar is set up on the Yuhe River in Lahai, and a water kiln is stored in the river. An ice cellar is set up in Taiyi Pond to store snow and ice kiln. The doors are opened for transportation, which is very convenient for use in summer. On the 23rd day of the Dragon Boat Festival, every household worships the stove, stacks the pole, and hangs the lantern. The offerings include soup rice, sugar melon sugar cake, fried beans with Shenma fragrant glutinous rice, water basin, etc. Men worship the gods and wish them good luck. Women should clean the stove in the inner room, smear the stove with clean mud, burn incense and worship silently. Within the four days of December 19, 20, 21, and 22 every year, the Qintian Supervisor will select auspicious days, seal them as usual, and promulgate them to the world, and all public holidays will be implemented. After that, the Liyuan Theater closed the stage on a selected day, and eight groups performed on the same stage. The performance would start on New Year's Day of the following year. Children who go to school also have a holiday after "closing" their familiar teachers' doors, which is called "the beginning of the school year." The day from the 25th to New Year's Eve is said to be "Chaos Day". "On the twenty-seventh day, you can wash away your sins; on the twenty-eighth, you can wash away your filth." At the end of the year, people throw away the leftover medicine outside the door and burn the collected prescriptions together, which is called "throwing away all diseases". Burning pine branches, cypress leaves, atractylodes, and auspicious pills in the furnace is called "simmering the year". The day before New Year's Eve is called "Little New Year's Eve". Every family holds a banquet and people pay each other New Year greetings, which is called "Farewell to the New Year". The day before New Year's Eve is called "Little New Year's Eve", and the day before it is called "Farewell New Year's Eve". Every household held wine and banquets, and people visited each other for three days. On New Year's Eve, many old people say that on New Year's Eve, people wear pythons and coats and go out to visit relatives and friends, which is called "farewell". Family members bow to their elders, which is also called "farewell".
Newlyweds must go to their in-laws to say goodbye, otherwise it would be disrespectful. On New Year's Eve, people have to go from the courtyard to the door and scatter sesame straw outside the door. This is called "stepping on the New Year". On New Year's Eve, as the night begins to turn, torches are blasting outside the door and firecrackers are set off. There are carriages and carriages rumbling around. All the officials came to court to congratulate on New Year's Day. At this time, the sound of firecrackers was like thunder, rising in waves, spreading throughout the countryside, all night long. It is even more mixed with the sound of drums, the sound of selling melon seeds to relieve boredom, the sound of selling rice and white wine on ice, the sound of selling cinnamon oil and the sound of selling vegetable powder, and the sound of firecrackers one after another, it is really lively. "The native people return home, wear new clothes, worship gods and ancestors; burn germanium and silk fabrics, get together with Ma Shuang, present pepper plates, pour cypress wine, steam cakes, and sip powder soup. When going out to welcome the occasion, they go to the medicine window and pay homage to the shadows window, and invite you to celebrate the festival together." When you meet relatives and friends on the road, salute first and then wish you "Happy New Year". "As for the entertainment, the fruit will be tea, the assorted hot pot will be eaten, the soup will be goose fat paste, meat buns, glutinous rice cakes, and yellow millet; the wine and food will be pickled chicken and bacon, bad heron and phoenix fish, pheasant feet, deer Rabbit breast; fruits include pine hazel lotus seeds, peach, apricot and melon kernels, chestnut and jujube branches, hawthorn cakes, green branch grapes, white pomegranates, Qiubo pears, apples and melons, lion tangerines and phoenix oranges, bayberry and orange slices, etc. The delicacies of the mountains and the sea are the difference between the family and the market. Even if you are not a close friend, you still have to drink three glasses of wine. If you forget your love, why not get drunk? "As the saying goes: "On a festive occasion, it is better to sit in one house while the four horses are noisy and joyful all day long. It can be said to be a moment of victory." The New Year's meal is topped with gold and silver rice, and pine and cypress branches are decorated with money, dates, chestnuts, longan, and fragrant branches. Five branches can be broken before being removed. (The so-called "New Year's meal") Take the larger pine and cypress branches, put them in a vase, and decorate them with ancient coins, ingots, pomegranate flowers, etc. to become a "money tree". Thread it with colorful ropes, weave it into the shape of a dragon, and place it at the foot of the bed, which is called "lucky money". What elders give to their children is also called "lucky money", and the "posts" used by money shops to get money are called "qiaozi". In addition, every year when wealthy people come to the bank to withdraw money, they have to write something on colored paper, which is a "red ticket". Take the beautiful and auspicious meaning. Anyone who sells flowers calls it Hua Yan Control, which is the flower of the Tang Dynasty. "Every Chinese New Year, we give gifts to each other. The peonies are colorful, the kumquats are yellow, the house is full of fragrance, the warm fragrance is overflowing, and the three spring colors are all in one place." So people also call it "Tanghua". Hang Qian, that is, use red paper to carve auspicious words, about a foot long, and stick it on the door to match the peach charm mirror. There is a picture of the Eight Immortals hanging in front of the Buddha. Thousands of private households use it for hanging, but large families rarely use it. The yellow paper is three inches long and the red paper is more than one inch long. It is called "Xiao Guaqian" and is used in the market. Every New Year's Eve, a long case is set up in the atrium, which is 100%. One percent is the entire country. Before "hundred percent", a layer of honey offerings is placed, which is called "full offering". On top of the offerings, there are eight immortals, pomegranates, ingots, etc., which are called "offerings to the Buddha". When it's time to receive the gods, they are burned in proportion and then burned with incense until the Lantern Festival, which is often called "the surface of heaven and earth". At the beginning of the first lunar month, every household gets up at five o'clock, burns incense, and sets off paper cannons. On this day, people, regardless of high or low, visit each other's homes and travel around for several days, which is called "New Year's Eve". Food items, such as the Pepsi Daji Box, are made from persimmons, lychees, longans, chestnuts, ripe dates, and more. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors. They keep cutting paper until it reaches more than ten feet, and offer it in front of their ancestors. They call it "thousands of pieces" and burn them. In the first half of the first month and the first day of the Lunar New Year, I came to the door, called for pick-up posts, and threw business cards. I was in a hurry, and most of the time I didn't have to talk to the owner. The first to fifth day of the first lunar month is commonly known as "Powu". According to the old custom, you have to eat "dumplings" for five days. In the north, it is called "boiled dumplings". Nowadays, some people only eat for three or two days, and some only eat every three or five days, but there is no one who does not eat. This applies to everything from princes' palaces to small households on the streets, and even the way they treat guests is the same. The lights in the first month have always been concentrated on the "six lanterns" in front of the door, which are called "six lanterns". Among them, the lanterns of the "Gongbu" are the most famous. Ice lanterns, birds and animals, and various colors of heaven and earth are all exquisitely made. The lantern market was once concentrated in the East and West Fourth Archways, and later moved to Langqiao Toutiao. Liulichang... Every New Year's Day to the 16th, department stores gather, with colored glass lantern screens, thousands of hanging lamps, jade scrolls and toothpicks, thousands of doors contacting each other, books filling the doors, and curios filling the streets. There is also "Qin Lou Chu Pavilion is just off the road, BMW is a fragrant car and the lady is traveling". It is also a scene in the ancient capital during the New Year. Don’t come to your door for New Year greetings. The first thing you say when you meet an acquaintance is: "Happy New Year!" No need to ask, this is a Beijinger and this is the Spring Festival. The forms of New Year greetings among people can be divided into four categories according to their social relationships: First, visiting relatives. You must go to your father-in-law’s house on New Year’s Day and bring gifts.
After entering the door, first kowtow three times to the Buddha statue, the ancestor statue, and the pagoda, and then kneel down to the elders in turn. You can stay to eat and play. The second is a courtesy visit. If you wish to pay New Year greetings to colleagues or friends, when entering the house, you should only kowtow to the Buddha three times. If the host is of the same generation in the same department, you only need to bow your hands. If you are older, you should still take the initiative to kneel down, and the host should sit down and make a support gesture. It is said to be free of courtesy to show humility. In this situation, it is generally not advisable to sit for a long time, just say a few polite words and then leave. After the host is worshiped, he should choose a day to return to worship. The third is to thank guests. Anyone who owes a favor during the year (such as lawyers, doctors, etc.) should buy some gifts and give them to them, and take the opportunity of New Year greetings to express their gratitude to the person next to them. The fourth is door-to-door visits. We didn't have much contact with our neighbors in the past, but when we met, we could say that during the Chinese New Year and festivals, whenever we came to the yard, we would clasp fists and say to each other: "The public is happy to get rich," and "Everything goes well, everything goes well." In the house It's just a matter of sitting for a while, not very polite. However, from the first day of the first lunar month to the fifth day of the first lunar month, most families do not accept women, which is called "taboo". Only men go out to pay New Year's greetings, while women must wait until after the sixth day of the first lunar month to go out to pay New Year's greetings, so the time limit for New Year's greetings can be extended to around the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. If for some reason you do not perform the customary rituals and make up for it later, it is called "paying homage to the old age". From the Republic of China to the present, New Year greetings are also very popular among relatives and friends, younger generations paying New Year greetings to their elders, colleagues paying New Year greetings to each other, and New Year greetings such as group visits, banquets, evening parties, and tea parties. Why is the word "福" stuck upside down? During the Spring Festival, on the doors and windows of many families' courtyards, we often see some big red characters "福" stuck upside down. This can be said to be a traditional custom of our nation. It is said that the custom of pasting the word "福" upside down originated from the palace of Prince Gongxin in the Qing Dynasty. Every year before the Spring Festival, in order to please the master, the chief steward would write a lot of characters "福" and have them posted on the doors of the warehouse and the palace. One family Because I was illiterate, I mistakenly pasted the word "福" on the door upside down. The word "福" on the door was mistakenly posted upside down by a family member because he was illiterate. For this reason, Prince Gong Fujin was very angry. Fortunately, the butler was eloquent. He knelt on the ground and said servilely: "I often hear people say that Prince Gong will live a long life and be blessed. Now the blessing has really arrived. This is a good sign." Fujin listened. I thought to myself, no wonder passers-by say that Prince Gong is very lucky (Part 2). If you say the auspicious words a thousand times, the gold and silver will increase by thousands of pounds. When he was happy, he rewarded the housekeeper and his family. Since then, the custom of pasting the word "福" upside down has spread from the government to people's homes, and they are willing to say a few words to passers-by or children: "Blessings, blessings!" On the Lantern Festival, "Lamp" is said, "walnuts are stuffed with sweet-scented osmanthus, and rice is like beads in the well" "Water." When he saw that Ma's family was good at selling Yuanxiao style, he said that Ma's family was good." This poem "Shangyuan Zhuzhi Ci" from the Qing Dynasty reflects that Beijing had the habit of eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival a long time ago. At that time, there were already shops famous for selling glutinous rice balls. The Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month is approaching. The Lantern Festival is a festival of lights. In China, the custom of viewing lanterns during the Lantern Festival has been inherited from the Tang Dynasty and has been spread among the people. In addition, the custom of eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival has been preserved to this day, because people eat glutinous rice balls on the night of the Lantern Festival, that is, the night of the Lantern Festival, and people have become accustomed to calling the glutinous rice balls "Yuanxiao". During the Lantern Festival, Beijing’s food stores, pastry shops, and even stalls selling glutinous rice balls are set up on both sides of the road. Every household eats a bowl of steaming glutinous rice balls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. People are so fond of the custom passed down by their ancestors. of attachment! Dumplings are also called Tangyuan and Fenguo. Because they float on the water after being cooked, the ancients also called them Floating Yuan. People eat glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival, which actually means missing their loved ones and longing for reunion. "Poetry for Cooking Tangyuan during the Lantern Festival" written by Zhou Bida in the Song Dynasty is the earliest poem describing Tangyuan in my country: "What evening do you know today? Reunion is the same. The Tang official is looking for old tastes, and the kitchen maids are amazed by new achievements. The stars are wrapped in dark clouds, and the pearls are floating. Zhuoshui. I compiled a history for this reason, and added that it was a family tradition. This short poem reveals his longing for the reunion of the whole country in his bowl. Even the girl who was lighting the fire under the stove was immersed in the deep emotion of homesickness when she was cooking glutinous rice balls for everyone! The habit of eating glutinous rice balls and remembering relatives has been passed down to this day. Spring Festival Greeting Cards The New Year is approaching, and the busiest thing for Beijingers is to welcome the New Year.
Before the festival, people have to mentally figure out who they are going to pay New Year greetings to, and see which house has not yet paid New Year greetings. Then they have to put down their work and go to pay New Year greetings. Year after year, they are already familiar with the business, and they are doing the same thing. What are the clichés like "Congratulations on getting rich" and "Thank you for taking care of me". A feeling of condescension. As a result, Beijing's buses and subways were overcrowded, and cyclists circled the city. Everyone is running towards one goal: wishing New Year greetings. The person being paid New Year’s greetings? Some are busy, and some are in a hurry to go out. The New Year greeters came, gave up their seats, made tea, offered cigarettes, and chatted, everything went according to procedure. One group left, another came, and all the work for the day was put aside, and I didn’t want to do anything anymore. Since 1991, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has begun to issue "China Post Greeting Cards (with Prizes) Postcards", which are cheap and include a few cents of postage. The winning rate accounts for almost a quarter of the total amount issued, and the winning prize can reach up to 10,000 yuan. . Exquisite prize greeting cards are simple and cheap, which can not only express friendship, but also send good luck. Look at these words of blessing: "I wish you a happy new year and full of energy", "Send you a bouquet of flowers to send my thoughts,..., just give me my own to express everything" and so on. . After thinking about it, it’s all together! So everyone hurried to the post office to find the address. Dozens of greeting cards were sent out, but suddenly there was one more thing in their minds. Greeting cards for the New Year include good wishes and sincere blessings. It is such a simple and practical thing, why not do it. New Year's cards first originated in the Song Dynasty of my country. When people paid New Year's greetings, relatives and friends would give each other stickers to express congratulations. This was the early New Year's card. In the Ming Dynasty, the design of New Year's cards became more perfect and exquisite. In addition to printing the name and address of the sender, blessings such as "Happy New Year" and "Good Luck and Good Luck" were also written. During the Qing Dynasty, New Year's cards were made of red cardboard, adding to the festive atmosphere. However, the first country in the world to produce postal postcards was Austria. In 1869, the Austrians introduced this fast and easy method of communication. In 1879, the Qing government invented postcards for the first time, but few responded. Postcards really became popular in China in 1988. Those postcards, composed of gorgeous patterns such as paintings, folk crafts, historical sites, flowers, birds, insects, fish, and precious cultural relics, suddenly became a new form of birthday wishes or holiday greetings to relatives and friends. The way of expressing emotions in a few words adapts to the fast-paced and efficient lifestyle of modern society. Especially since the issue of prize-winning greeting cards, greeting cards have spread all over the country, bringing warmth and joy to thousands of households and becoming the main form of New Year greetings for Beijingers. Hutong cries The cries in Beijing's alleys are ambiguous, long and circuitous, as if they are singing. This is a kind of pastoral lyrical sound, with a strong color of agricultural civilization. The singers seemed not to be engaged in commercial activities, but to sing folk songs. They don't seem to care whether people come to buy or sell, they just enjoy wandering the streets. This seemingly loose and poetic tone reveals the secretiveness and shyness of China's traditional agricultural civilization in the face of commercial civilization. The shouting voice became weaker and weaker. Under the impact of commercial civilization, another extreme form of hawking appeared. They stood on both sides of the free market, raised their voices, and screamed in the ears of passers-by at the top of their lungs, as if they would not let you go if you didn't buy. Hidden in this kind of hawking is an anxiety about getting rich if you are poor, and an "eagerness" that wants to empty your pockets. Once you don't buy it, they will become desperate, anxious, anxious, resentful, angry, and then make bad remarks. From these "voices", we can feel a tendency of verbal violence, just like people shouting slogans on the streets during the "Cultural Revolution". In this regard, the environmental protection department has not formulated corresponding management measures. This cry was more concentrated in the newly civilized towns. In a mature commodity society, sales calls should be accurate, direct, and peaceful. Some specialty stores on the street (such as "Boshiron", "Giordano", "Benello", etc.) also have hawking sounds. Young men and women tell you the benefits of their product in a eloquent tone and try to convince people to buy it. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t buy, it doesn’t affect their determination to continue selling. Although their narrative tone is inevitably exaggerated, they are more objective than the above two. More importantly, they neither force nor avoid, making them appear more authentic. Sometimes they yell, especially after a tiring day and near the end of the day.
But this shouting is not directed at customers, but at themselves, with the purpose of boosting morale. For example, the announcer will shout through the loudspeaker: "Hello everyone!" The salespersons will reply in unison: "Hi, sister...", "Thank you for your hard work!" "Sister, thank you for your hard work..." ..""We have sold 398 pieces and will sell 400 pieces before get off work. Are you confident?" Everyone answered in unison: "Yes------". Their voices, neither impatient nor arrogant, reveal a pragmatic and dedicated spirit. Of course, you can also say that this is a spirit of "commodity fetishism." According to traditional concepts, the worship of commodities smells like copper, is vulgar, and is despised by "gentlemen." However, what does it matter if it is vulgar? We have waited several generations before we discovered that the sacred is so far away from us and has nothing to do with ordinary people's lives. The crux of the matter is that worshiping commodities is no more dangerous than worshiping seemingly divine villains. On the premise of being faithful to the laws of market exchange, let the shouts of goods spread, and let the false, shy, lyrical shouts, and violent denunciatory shouts disappear. Climbing high to eat flower cakes during the Double Ninth Festival in September. The autumn air is crisp and cloudless. Climbing high and overlooking the distance makes people feel relaxed and happy. Therefore, climbing has become a good fitness activity. But in ancient times, climbing was to "avoid evil spirits", which began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Wu Jun, a native of Liang Dynasty, said in "Xu Qixie Ji" that there was a famous person named Fei Changfang who was quite proficient in immortality and could know the misfortune and blessings of the world. One day, he said to his disciple Runan Huanjing, your whole family will be in trouble on September 9th, but if you can make a red envelope for everyone, fill it with dogwood and tie it on your arm, then go hiking and drink chrysanthemums on the mountain. Drink, and you'll survive. Huan Jing complied, and sure enough, nine nights later, when the whole family came back from the mountain, they saw that their chickens, dogs, cows, and sheep had all died violently. Afterwards, Fei Changfang said that this was a disaster caused by livestock. This magical story has been passed down and formed the custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival. In the old days, the custom of drinking at high altitudes was prevalent in Beijing. There are Tianning Temple, Taoranting and Longzhaohui in the south of the city, Yanshu in Yongmen in the north, and Xishan and Bada Temple further away. During this festival, people chant poems and drink wine, grill meat and share cakes, and climb high to gaze into the distance, creating a unique artistic conception of autumn outing. Because the weather is getting colder and the flowers and trees are about to wither, people call it "Ci Qing". When you climb high, you also eat flower cakes. Because "gao" and "cake" are homophones, the cakes during the festival are called "Chongyang Flower Cake", which means "rising higher and higher step by step". The main types of "flower cake" include "brown flower cake", "fine flower cake" and "money flower cake". The brown flower cake has some coriander leaves as a symbol, and green fruits, dates, walnuts and other rough dried fruits are sandwiched in the middle; the fine flower cake has three and two layers, with finer candied fruits such as dried apples, dried peaches, etc. sandwiched in the middle. Dried apricots, dried dates, etc.; Qianhua cake is basically the same as Xianhua cake, except that it is smaller in size, like "money", and is mostly a food for the upper class nobles. It is said that in the early years, no one made hair cakes. It is said that in the early years, there were no fermented dough cakes stuffed with jujubes, chestnuts and other fruits, or glutinous rice cakes steamed with river rice or yellow rice flour, such as "gold on top" and "silver on the bottom" flower cakes. Flower cakes are a food for entertaining daughters when they return home, and they are also gifts given to each other during festivals. Nowadays, the habit of mountain climbing is more popular among Beijingers. Jingshan, Badachu, Xiangshan, etc. are all good places for mountain climbing. Badachu also holds the Chongjiu Mountaineering Festival, attracting many tourists. In addition, Beijingers not only climb on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, but also often see people climbing on the rugged mountain roads in the early morning. Autumn Rhymes about Crickets The autumn wind blows, grass and insects grow, and it’s time for the children to turn over pots and bricks to catch crickets. Crickets are also called weavers, and are commonly known as "crickets" in Beijing. In ancient China, crickets were a custom from the palace to the people. There is an article "Promoting Weaving" in Pu Songling's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", which tells the tragic story of people paying tribute to the imperial court with crickets. People in Suzhou and Hangzhou are fond of crickets, and it is also very popular in Beijing. During the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, the book "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" contains detailed records of the species, names, breeding methods, and fighting scenes of crickets produced in Hu Village outside Yongdingmen. There is a book "Raising Crickets" in the Ming Dynasty. The author has several friends who raise crickets, and I have seen them fight with crickets. Their extravagance is staggering. There are two cricket specialty stores in Liutiao School outside Xuanwumen, Beijing. There are people selling crickets in Yanzhou, Shandong. People who raise crickets also come here to buy them. The good ones can be sold for a few yuan each.
When raising crickets, you must use a good jar. In Beijing, you must use a jar made of "Zhao Ziyu". Before raising crickets, pour Pu'er tea on the jar to avoid burning the bottom of the jar and preventing the crickets from being scalded. The crickets' food is made of rice and crushed green beans and is changed daily. After the frost comes, the crickets should bask in the sun. At noon, they should go out of the pots to bask in the sun for a while and cover them with curtains. During the sun exposure, take out water and food from each pot to prevent the heat from evaporating and spoiling the crickets. In the afternoon, put food and water into the pots one by one and put them back into the house. In winter, put the pots in an iron pot, put four pots in one pot, and wrap them in quilts to keep them warm, so that the crickets can be raised until winter. Cricket fights were popular and servants would arrive with cricket basins. In advance, the game player weighs the crickets with a scale, and only those with the same number of crickets can participate in the game. The owners of both parties bet on the number of crickets written on the water card, and others can also bet on the secret code. When the crickets reach the water basin, the owner uses a "probe" to lure them into a fight. If one party loses and runs away, the "spy" will lure them back and fight again. After three rounds, they will run away even if they lose. The game maker then collects the bets from both sides, deducts ten percent of the winnings, and pays the winner. During the cricket fight in Beijing, people can watch, but onlookers must keep quiet, for fear that the crickets will be frightened and jump out of the basin. This is called "frightening the basin". After "frightening the basin", the crickets are put back into the basin and generally lose their fighting spirit. No more fighting. During the cricket fight in Tianjin, spectators are not allowed, only the hosts of both parties and the "supervisor" (that is, the person who fights the cricket) are allowed to watch. If the fight is won, the cricket's wings are lifted and the owner puts a label on the back of the pot lid to record its performance. This kind of cricket is like death, and the owner is infinitely sad. He puts it in a small coffin with silver pieces and buries it in the coffin. He is also given posthumous titles such as "General" and "Founding Marshal". In the past, there were countless people in Beijing who lost all their money, committed suicide by throwing themselves into rivers, and neglected their studies because of raising crickets. Therefore, raising crickets is only for fun, not for fun. Beijing Human Market The Beijing Human Market emerged in the Yuan Dynasty. After the capital was established, it once trafficked and robbed Han people. Analyzing the records of "Jin Shi": "Anfufang is located in Yangjiaocheng, the gate of Shuncheng... It is a human market in Yangjiaocheng, and the buildings still exist today." This city is located in today's Xi'anmen Street and Jiaobang Huey area. Because people strongly opposed human trafficking at that time, the Yuan Dynasty government ordered the abolition of the human market, but the human trafficking buildings remained until the Ming Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, the human market appeared again. Historian Tan Qian came to Beijing from Zhejiang and lived in Nancheng. He discovered this human market when he was investigating the social situation, and wrote in "Journey to the North": "There is a mule and horse market, a cattle market, a sheep market, and a human market on Shunchengmen Street. There is an endless stream of women under the banner who want to sell. The person from the tooth may be brought to his home for reading." This city is located in the area of ??Mulushi Street and Niushi Street outside Xuanwumen today. Wang Shi□ also wrote the story of Zhao Xun, a Beijing water seller in the early years of Shunzhi, who bought a girl as his wife in the market. At first, he bought a woman, took off the handkerchief on her head, and found that it was an old woman, so Zhao Xun gave her mother. The old woman was so moved that she took out the hidden beads sewn into her clothes and asked Zhao Xun to buy another young woman in the city to be his wife. When he bought it back, he saw that it was the old woman's daughter. This story vividly illustrates the situation of Han people being bought and sold in the early Qing Dynasty. There is also a special name for another "human market" where labor was bought and sold in old Beijing, called Qionghan Market. In the Yuan Dynasty, Qionghan City was located near the city gate. "Analysis of Jin Zhi" records: "The bell tower is the most important in Qinghan City. One is on the city bridge outside Wenmingmen; one is on the south street of Shuncheng Gate; one is west of Lizhengmen; and the other is the thatched tower of Shuncheng Gate." Ming and Qing Dynasties The poor Seoul was today’s Pucheng outside Qianmen. Some bankrupt farmers and unemployed vagrants gather here every day to work as part-time workers, waiting to be recruited. This market for selling idle labor still existed until the early days of liberation. Employers with tools (tile knives, saws, axes, etc.) waiting to recruit workers could often be seen outside Qianmen and at the bridge outside Chongwenmen. These people are also called "listeners." Talking about Magnolia after the Qingming Festival As soon as the Qingming Festival is over, Beijingers start their spring outings. One of the activities is magnolia viewing. The thick white petals and fragrant fragrance of magnolia are really attractive. Since magnolia is a southern plant, with the rise of garden architecture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, magnolia was also transplanted to Beijing, and was mainly concentrated in the Xishan area. People are no strangers to the two magnolias in the Summer Palace.
After the Qingming Festival every year, people began to go to Leshou Hall in groups. At that time, there were no buses, sedans, or donkeys. More people strolled towards the west at Xizhimen. The two magnolias have two colors. The white magnolia has not bloomed, and the purple magnolia has opened its light purple flower bowl to people. People gathered around these two magnolias, looking up to admire them, and couldn't bear to leave. In fact, Beijing is more famous for the magnolia in Dajue Temple. Dajue Temple was built in the fourth year of Xianyong in Liao Dynasty (1068). It was originally named Qingshuiyuan and was renamed Dajue Temple after its reconstruction by Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty. The temple has gurgling water, surrounded by green mountains and beautiful scenery. There are two magnolias in Dajue Temple. The one in Siyi Hall in the south is said to be a relic of the Ming Dynasty. It is more than a foot in diameter, not tall, has an immobile posture, and its petals are as big as incense and heavy. No wonder there is an endless stream of people admiring the flowers around Qingming Festival every year. After leaving the courtyard and entering the north courtyard, there is a magnolia plant, which was planted in the Qing Dynasty. The flowering period is more luxuriant than the Ming Dynasty magnolia, but slightly less coquettish. There are also thousand-year-old ginkgo trees and stone tablets from the Liao Dynasty in Dajue Temple, which are worth a visit. I remember a visit to Dajue Temple with my friends during the magnolia blooming season 40 years ago, which left an unforgettable impression. My friend Zhao Guanghua is a garden expert. He told me that the oldest magnolia in Beijing is on the mountain in the city near Dajue Temple. There is a small garden there. I don’t know which nobleman left it in the Ming Dynasty. You can see the pavilions and pavilions on the mountain. There are two magnolias in the yard, surrounded by iron fences. The magnolia is thicker, longer and stronger than the magnolia in Dajue Temple. Because it is located in a remote mountainous area and is rarely known by people, no one disturbs it, and the tree grows better. In fact, there are two magnolia trees in the Forbidden City, which are locked in the courtyard and not open to the public, so few people know about them. To appreciate magnolia, you need to master the climate. If it goes away early, the flowers will still be in bud, but if they go away late, they will wither and fade. When the north wind is crazy, the beautiful flowers will sometimes be blown by the strong wind overnight, but the next day they will be all over the ground. So it’s not easy to choose a good time to see magnolias. In recent years, a row of magnolias has been planted on the north side of Chang'an Street and is in full bloom. From now on, Beijingers will not have to travel to the countryside to appreciate flowers, nor will they have to worry about climate change. They can just walk along the red wall and enjoy the flowers. The party is a traditional Chinese folk song and dance performance, mainly held around the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival. Before 1949, it was also often held between the first and fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month, so it was also called the Xiang Hui. After 1949, it was renamed the Flower Fair. Walking meetings in Beijing probably began in the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty. It has become the most organized and enthusiastic street song and dance performance during festivals, celebrations and temple fairs. Participants in the walking party include: actors (roles) who specialize in performing various skills; people who manage and manage all affairs in the party. These people are divided into money and food bosses, car handlers, loyalty bosses and Shentang bosses according to their different responsibilities. Each boss has a certain responsibility. There is a master called Baotou. The Qian Liang leader is responsible for picking boxes and cages. Each box has four boxes and cages. Each pair is picked. The boxes and cages are decorated with gold paint and mainly hold items such as luggage used during walking. Four triangular general flags are placed on them, and the embroidered generals are called general flags. , the flag will be blue, and the flag surface will be blue; those who have been serving in the palace and receiving royal gifts from the emperor will use a yellow flag with a yellow surface. There are several large carts with large handlebars, which will be used for actors to ride on; bars will also be mostly performed on the carts. The Central Harmony Department is disguised as a children's kitchen and is responsible for preparing or transporting food used in the party. Shentang Baoshi is responsible for the preparation of sacrifices, performances and application items before the gods. The main performance forms of the conference include: road opening, yangko, five tiger sticks, land boats, Chinese flags, trolleys, stilts, pole boxes, lions, ten pairs of drums, etc. The conference is held before the conference, and some are held after the conference. The trailblazer should go to the front of the assembly and wave the iron fork to open the way. There is a bell on the iron fork, which will sound when it is danced. The practitioner's face is painted with ancient costume makeup, he is wearing a green satin back, tied with a silk ribbon, a tiger skin skirt around his waist, and blue satin boots on his feet. In addition to rehearsing marching side crosses, there are also techniques such as "crossing the red", "crossing the waist jade belt", and "plucking onions on dry land". Kailu Club is a must-have program for every festival. Yangko is the most popular performance form and must be performed at almost every festival. Yangge in Beijing generally refers to the local Yangge that does not involve high fever, so it is also commonly known as Bengbeng. In addition, there is also a type that plays flower drums while playing small copper coins, which is said to be flower cymbals, but it is not commonly seen.
Yangko characters include the fisherman (holding a fishing rod and carrying a fish basket), the woodcutter (also known as the firewood man, carrying a pole), Bodhidharma Tutuo (appearing as a traveler), and the younger brother (appearing as a boy, holding a flower basket and a flower whip). ), Jun Gu (You disguise yourself as a man and play a small drum), Chou Gu (You disguise yourself as a man and play a small drum), Jun Gong (You disguise yourself as a woman and play a small gong), Chou Gong (You disguise yourself as a woman and play a small gong), Wen Fan (text dressed as a woman, holding a fan), Wu Shan (text dressed as a woman, holding a fan), Wu Shan (text dressed as a woman, holding a fan), Wu Shan (text dressed as a man, holding a fan), Wu Shan (text dressed as a man, holding a fan) Fan), Wu Fan (text dressed as a man, holding a fan). ), Wu Fan (Wu dressed as a man, holding a fan), the fisherman and the plaster seller (wiping white snot, holding a plaster flag or holding a string of bells), 12 people from the ****, if they all show up for the rehearsal, it will be called a full live broadcast. Each actor sings a Yangko tune, and is finally accompanied by a chorus of small drums and gongs. Each Yangko tune has 4 lines and each sentence has 7 characters. The content is mostly taken from stories such as "Water Margin" and "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea"; there is also "The Dragon Wags its Tail" "," "Black Tiger Digging Heart" and other dance forms are accompanied by different gongs and drums. "Five Tiger Sticks" is based on the story of the fight between Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and the Dong family's five tigers. The performers wear colorful costumes and hold eyebrow-level sticks and three-section sticks.