Chapter 5 Four What are we going to read?

In fact, the division of cities into "masculine" and "female" is nothing more than a literary statement, or even a hazy feeling, not and impossible to be a scientific conclusion.For example, Hangzhou not only has the tomb of Xiaoqing, but also the tomb of King Yue; not only the beautiful Su Xiaoxiao, but also the upright Yu Qian who would rather be smashed to pieces than "leave only innocence in the world".People in Hangzhou are known as "Hangzhou Tietou", so it is conceivable that they are tough.Not to mention the Qiantang tide. Isn't it masculine to "stand on the bow of the boat and hold the red flag in your hand without getting wet"?Similarly, the well-known saying "Chang'an is full of moon, the sound of thousands of households pounding clothes, the autumn wind blows endlessly, always the love of Yuguan", isn't it also the tenderness of Xi'an women?

Obviously, "men's city" or "women's city" and so on, but things that are "falsely told" and "falsely listened to" cannot be taken as true, and can easily be falsified.Therefore, whether these statements are accurate or not, we can leave it alone, or we might as well hold our own opinions.But cities are like people, so it should not be a problem.I even think that cities, like people, have "body odor".This taste is the "cultural flavor" of the city.Sensitive people, as long as they walk into a certain city, they will immediately smell

Therefore, to read the city is to read the people.Cities are more than houses and streets, shops and walls.If there are no people, no matter how good a city is, it is just a "dead city", so what is there to read. So, what do people in the city have to read? What is readable is their "living method". The city is the living space of people.This living space is formed by each city's geographical location, surrounding environment, street architecture, historical tradition and cultural atmosphere.Therefore, people in different cities have different ways of living, that is, lifestyles; they also have different personalities, that is, cultural characters.For example, Beijing people are generous, Shanghai people are smart, Hangzhou people are leisurely, Chengdu people are free and easy, Wuhan people are straightforward, Xiamen people are warm and so on.This is what those of us who read the city are particularly concerned about.

Life style and cultural character are two things that cause and effect each other.For example, Beijingers are generous, so Beijingers live a chic and sloppy life.In the past, stinky tofu was pasted with pancakes, and a pot of dried shrimp and cabbage was added, which was a good meal.If the stinky tofu was made by Wang Zhihe, and sesame oil was dripped on it, it would be good for entertaining aunts.Now, a pack of instant noodles and two ham sausages are enough for a meal.If you can't find boiling water to make noodles for a while, you can also deal with cold water for dry instant noodles.But even this simple life is not lacking in fun.Beijingers are very good at "having fun". "The root of the altar wall" and "Locust tree courtyard" are both "paradise", "Shouting Yisang" and Ding Yisang" are both "joys", and the more everyone applauds, the more relaxed their expressions are (not pretending) .Even if it’s nothing more than radish with small sauce, just steamed corn bread, or noodles with vegetable sauce mixed with shredded cucumber, you can eat deliciously. Don’t you have any fruit? “Xinmei” radish is very good. Dig a small hole in the root, stuff a rapeseed in it, pour some water on it, wait for the sprouts to emerge, and hang them greenly at home, the rough and simple life will be full of fun

Shanghainese live in a different way.Shanghainese are shrewd, so Shanghainese live a delicate and small life.Most of their houses are small in size but fully functional.A lot of furniture is multi-functional, and it is placed just right, not taking up space, but also well-proportioned, which is obviously carefully designed.There are not too many clothes.It will neither be too much to wear, press the bottom of the box, or be unable to dry in the spring, nor will it be stretched so that there is no outfit to go out.Anyway, all year round, you can have a decent body.These clothes don't have to be bought either.Many housewives or "hosts" are skilled craftsmen.Others made two pairs of trousers, but he can cut three pairs. The style and workmanship are also professional.Of course, eating will not be sloppy.Even if ordinary people live a small life, they have to "cook a few small dishes to eat" for every meal, and they have meat and vegetables, and they are nutritious.From time to time, I will go to the street to find a remote (and thus cheaper) hot and cold drink shop to drink a small cup of coffee or eat a piece of shaved ice; or in a clean and affordable shop Order a few small dishes and drink a glass of beer; or when shopping, buy a small piece of cream cake or an apple and eat while walking.You don't spend a lot of money, but you still enjoy the city life, which is both happy and affordable, which is called "Little Lehui".

Obviously, Beijingers look down on this kind of living style of Shanghainese.What "Xiao Lehui"?It is simply "playing house".Similarly, Shanghainese do not take seriously the way Beijingers live. "Looking for happiness"? "Poor and happy"! This is the difference between the city and the city. This difference, after all, is the difference of culture.What is culture?Culture is the way of human existence and development.To put it bluntly, it is "living method".Different people have different ways of living, and different cities have different ways of living.These ways of living constitute culture.Reading the city means reading people and culture.

Take "Xiao Le Huiyi" as an example. It was originally a local dialect in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Braised chicken in shrimp oil, grilled crucian carp with scallions, dried tofu with wormwood, stir-fried bamboo shoots with edamame and pickled vegetables, or even just Yinxiang beans, peanuts, and a glass of old wine, and it will never be Moutai or XO, so it is called "Small". However, small is small, and the fun is endless and interesting. What's more, the benefit is not expensive, so it is called "Xiao Le Hui". The old writer Wang Zengqi wrote "Xiao Le Wei". Local people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang speak , Huiwei is not distinguished, and writing "Xiao Le Wei" is probably because it is mainly manifested in diet? Even so, I think it can't be called "Xiao Le Wei", but should be called "Xiao Le Wei".Because what it pursues is not "satisfaction in the stomach", but "pleasure in the mouth". It is the mouth rather than the stomach that is happy. , how can it be called "Xiao Le Stomach"

The "Xiao Le Wei" or "Xiao Le Wei" that existed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas has become an out-and-out "Xiao Le Hui" when it comes to Shanghainese.The "little joys" of Jiangsu and Zhejiang people are mostly the pastoral pleasures of agricultural society; the "little joys and benefits" of Shanghainese people are urban life in modern society.Of course, not all the enjoyment of urban life can be called "Xiao Lehui".For example, if you go to "Paramount" to spend money like water, it doesn't count; if you just eat a bowl of Yangchun noodles at a small stall, of course it doesn't count.The reason why it is not counted is also very simple. The former is too "big", while the latter does not have much "joy" to speak of.Obviously, the so-called "Xiao Lehui" must be "small" and "happy".Generally speaking, it has the following characteristics.One is small, which means "little nonsense" and "small to come"; the second is exquisiteness, and drinking a big bowl of tea is not counted; the third is that it must belong to material enjoyment, and "shouting a voice" is not counted; the fourth is that it must be carefully calculated and arranged The result of planning is to obtain as much or as much enjoyment as possible at the least possible cost, for example, high quality, high style, low price and so on.Therefore, buying a roast chicken without hesitation and munching on it is not considered a "small joy". With the same amount (or even less) of money, not only a small plate of boiled chicken, but also several dishes with meat and vegetables Add a small glass of Coke or beer, it is an authentic "Xiao Lehui".Here, the fourth principle is most important.If you eat (or play, dress) well, but spend a lot of money, are "cut off", are "taken advantage of", and feel "bad", how can you be happy?

The fourth principle is the most important, also because it is the key difference between the "Xiao Lehui" of Shanghai people and the "Xiao Lehui" of Hangzhou people or other Jiangsu and Zhejiang people.There is a folk proverb in Hangzhou that goes: "Uncle worker, snail sucks sucking (pronounced "shuo"); farmer uncle, chicken feet break off", which is a typical "Xiao Lehui" in Hangzhou.It takes a lot of time to suck snails and break off chicken feet, but the fun is just a little thing here. As long as you sip slowly, taste carefully, and taste the delicate parts, it is not difficult to smash out the delicious taste.This taste is not only that of side dishes and old wine, but also that of life.Life is like passing by in a hurry, what is rare is the freedom and leisure.The snail sucking and the chicken feet breaking off are just the narcissism of leisurely life.In this leisurely time, all the hustle and bustle of the world and the vicissitudes of the world are completely forgotten. As the saying goes, "Old wine is drunk every day, and Chairman Mao lives forever", and Hangzhou people live happily every day, so it is still called "Xiao Le Taste" is good.Since Hangzhou's "Xiao Lewei" aims to enjoy itself and keep aloof from the world, it is obviously very different from Shanghai's "Xiao Lehui"'s careful planning and calculation.

This is somewhat similar to the Beijingers' "look for fun". The "look for fun" of Beijingers is also a kind of enjoyment of life, and it is also a kind of self-satisfaction and aloofness.Knowing how to play birds, play tickets, play chess, play with flowers and plants, don't care about whether things are good or bad, and don't care about winning or losing. What you want is the casual, comfortable, pleasant, and comfortable, and what you value is the leisurely and elegant when doing these things. It is the state of mind and interest.In the eyes of Beijingers, "joys" are everywhere, and it depends on whether you can "find".Obviously, this is exactly in line with the Hangzhou people's life attitude of "drinking and drinking, drinking and waking up, and being romantic in every hill and valley".This is not surprising.After all, Beijing and Hangzhou are rural cities in rural China, and they are ancient cultural cities with a history of thousands of years.Such a city will always be somewhat casual and refined.People here are always easy to see through history and life, and thus become calm, indifferent and happy with the situation.However, due to historical and geographical reasons, the common people in Beijing are more "Kyoto-style" and "Yanzhao chivalrous", while the common people in Hangzhou are more or less "Wuyue aftertaste" and "Wei-Jin demeanor".

Shanghai is not the same. Shanghai is not a "garden city", so it does not have that "looseness"; Shanghai is not an "ancient cultural city", so it is rare to have that "elegance".Shanghai is a crowded, noisy, colorful and modern commercial city with great disparity between rich and poor. Most of the Shanghainese are small citizens who live in such a city, who are tempted by luxury and pleasure but confused by poverty and embarrassment.Their living environment is much worse than that of Beijingers, and their living requirements are much higher than that of Beijingers, because they are also much more materially tempted than Beijingers.This makes them pay more attention to the real life content and quality of life, and also forces them to plan carefully, find tricks, take advantage of loopholes, take shortcuts, and pick up bargains as much as possible, and become "threshold wise".It can be said that the small citizens who account for more than half of Shanghai's population almost all live in this way, and Shanghai's municipal management and commercial services are also willing to provide convenience for this way of life, such as printing and distributing half a pair of food stamps, snacks can be Buy it together, the cream can be "zero copy" and so on.These practices ensure that the low-income citizens can also live a convenient, affordable, comfortable and decent life, and they can also be as elegant as their cities. Of course, to live such a life, there is also a condition, that is, one must be shrewd.” In fact, every Shanghainese understands that only by relying on personal ingenuity and shrewdness can it be possible to achieve as much as possible in this society. A good life is the only way to live like a fish in water in this society. The so-called "Xiao Lehui" is the self-appreciation of this state of being like a fish in water. By the way, this way of living is even respected by others in Shanghai A Shanghai friend of mine told me that there is a regular customer in Shanghai's most famous western restaurant "Red House". Mr. Wang respects him very much, and the service is very considerate. Shanghai people are not very "snobbish". ", more respect "in line one.In fact, it is impossible for a foreigner who spends money recklessly to gain real respect in Shanghai.He will only be regarded as "dumb" and ridiculed behind the scenes by Shanghainese. Apparently, Beijingers’ “Looking for Fun” or Shanghainese’s “Xiaolehui” or Hangzhou people’s “Xiaolewei” are all those who don’t have much income, family background, and money. The way of life of ordinary people who want to live a better life is a supplement and adjustment to the monotonous and poor life.In short, they are all about "enjoying life", and they are also an appreciation of one's "way of life".The difference is that Beijingers appreciate their own "magnificence", Shanghainese appreciate their "smartness", and Hangzhou people appreciate their "leisure".People from Beijing, living at the foot of the emperor, at the root of the imperial city, live on a three-acre land of the Long Live Lord, what has not been seen in the world?Who cares about the thickness of life, and where can't you find fun?Shanghai people are small citizens in an international metropolis. The outside world is wonderful, but life at home is helpless.What's more, the opportunities are relatively equal, the competition is relatively fair, and no matter how stupid people are, they will be honed over time. Get closer to nature and enjoy life more?Who else can be more lazy and leisurely than them?Different, just different smell! Even the helplessness behind these three ways of living is different.To put it bluntly, the common people in Beijing have seen too much of the imperial palace, but they can’t get in, so they have to go to the base of the altar wall to “seek pleasure”; Lehui".As for the ordinary people in Hangzhou, living in a "paradise on earth", life may not be so easy, so they have to "do a Taoist temple in a snail shell and a fairy in a small wine glass".It can be said that Beijing people's "seeking fun" is to find pleasure in bitterness, Hangzhou people's "little joy" is to sneak in while busy, and Shanghainese's "little joy" is to really adjust and enrich one's life.In comparison, Shanghainese are more "pragmatic", while Beijingers and Hangzhou people are more "aesthetic"; Shanghainese are more "modern", while Beijingers and Hangzhou people are more "traditional". This is the difference between people and the difference between cities. Therefore, reading a city is like reading a person.If you want to know someone, you have to treat him as a person like yourself, and make friends with him with a heart-to-heart relationship.The same goes for getting to know a city.The purpose of my writing (Reading City Tales) is also here: through this book, I want to get to know the cities I have visited as if I knew my friends. Of course, I also want to communicate with the people who live in these cities. People, become friends. So, let's go into the city.