Chapter 3 The vicissitudes of rickshaws and tricycles

As far back as more than 60 years ago, there were rickshaws in Peking.I remember that when the author was young, my uncle went to the Qing History Museum every day to work (located in the Taimiao Temple on the left side of Tiananmen Square). Although there was a carriage with a glass roof at home, because of his lowly position, he sat in the carriage to court the public sooner or later. He took a rickshaw to the Yamen.At first, the wheels of rickshaw wheels in Peking were made of iron rims embedded with dead rubber. There were no brass and white copper engravings on the wheels, and there were no beautiful chiseled ornaments. The red and green silk cart duster is very grand.

The dead rubber has poor sliding force when pulled up. After running for a long time, it is of course not as fast as pumping up the tires later. At that time, the family members called this antique rickshaw an old rickshaw. (Peking people walk on their legs called "Bu Nian'er"), and no one wants to save effort by taking this rickshaw.This is great, this car is the only one in the family except for the uncle who goes to and from the Yamen, and the driver is at home. They are both rickshaws, but Pingjin Ninghu have different names.Beiping is called yangche, Tianjin is called rubber, Shanghai is called rickshaw, and Nanjing people call it rickshaw with multiple "er" at the end.Although there is only one word difference between Ninghu and "er", the dialect of Ninghu is different, and it seems quite different.Later, with the progress of the times, rickshaws evolved from dead tires to inner tubes and outer tires.Since the rickshaws were replaced with pumped tires, the rickshaws in Pingjin and Tianjin have improved the fastest. In addition to adding yellow and white copper plating decorations as much as possible to the hood, body, handlebars, and front of the car, the rickshaws are generally rich and famous. On the left hand side of the car was installed a big horn that was the same as the car stereo at that time, and on the right hand side was installed a four-tone small bagpipe, and a pair of foot bells were stepped on.The driver of the cart is even more airy, and a speaker is installed on the left and right handlebars to warn pedestrians to pull over at any time.On both sides of the car, there is a hand bell on one side and a leather horn on the other. When the car races with others, the speed is fast and the momentum is amazing.

Later, among the famous concubines in the flower country of Beiping, there was a little Lingbo who loved to show off the most. She increased the number of calcium carbide lamps on the car from two to four, and the car passed by like a fire dragon.So there are a few prodigal sons and young masters in Peiping, who add a pair of copper forks to the armrest of the car, and then plug in a pair of small calcium carbide lamps.Can a car with six lights still not light up?There was nothing to do in the cart (meaning modified in Peiping dialect), so my thoughts turned to those who pulled the cart, and the private driver changed into trousers and jackets with light green bamboo cloth and white wide brim and big cloud head, or dark blue cloth with red border, sometimes The professional nails a cloth stopper on the four corners of the stirrup of the handcart, and the appearance is easy to follow.I remember that Xiao Kuiguan, who was born in Binqing's social science class, was also called Yin Binkui. On his car bumper, "Yin Binkui" was embroidered in black velvet regular script, which really made pedestrians look sideways to avoid the road.

The rickshaws for personal use in Tianjin are also similar to those in Peiping, clean and beautiful, but the general rickshaws are different.Generally, the body of the scattered car is wide and square, which seems to be roughly the same style as the Tianjin-Shanghai rickshaw.Because Tianjin and Shanghai both have concessions, the back of the car is full of license plates of different concessions. Those with complete licenses can cross the border. Otherwise, if the license plate of the British concession crosses the border to the French concession, they will be fined, so they have to go to the demarcation point to let the guests Change car.

The rickshaws in Nanjing are the most pitiful, because the area is vast, and it is a long journey from the Daxing Palace to the Confucius Temple, and it takes a long time to get there.At the same time, there are garbage horse-drawn carriages at various street corners to solicit customers one by one to grab business, so rickshaws in Nanjing are considered the most difficult business.The form of private rickshaws in Shanghai is different from that in Pingjin. The seat is round, the handlebars are very short, and the cushions are equipped with springs. The pullers seem to have received special training. Shaking coal balls, very uncomfortable.

The author came to Shanghai for the first time and lived in Sheqinli's Mansion. They allocated a car for my own use to go out for me.The person pulling the cart was called "Ah Si", and he trembled and swayed when he ran fast. I was very unaccustomed to being in the car, so I secretly asked Ah Si why he was shaking so tremblingly.According to him, the rich gentry and merchants in Shanghai, the famous women in Beili, and all the chartered cars for their own use use this kind of pull method, which is enough style.After asking him to stop trembling, he also felt much less effort. In the 16th year of the Republic of China, Zhenjiang, the capital of Jiangsu Province, had a variety of new and old means of transportation, including sedan chairs carried by two people and rickshaws.Gyeonggi Ridge, which is to be passed from the train station to the city, is a long and high slope. When going downhill, the driver holds the two car supports under the dustpan with both hands, and makes the axle wheel of the car the center pillar, so that both the driver and the passengers are suspended in the air. , as fast as a galloping horse, rushing straight down.The coachman's feet are like a dragonfly on the water, and only tap the ground every three to five feet to slow down and adjust the direction.This feeling of Lingxu Yufeng, hanging springs and waterfalls, if one is not well controlled, one will be turned on his back, or he will not be able to go up to the sky or down to the ground, hitting the scales high.The number of people who walked through Gyeonggi Ridge may not be too many, but during the Anti-Japanese War, anyone who first came to Chongqing and took a rickshaw up and down through Chaotianmen must have tasted the taste of the stormy sea!

Before the Anti-Japanese War, the author went to Zhengzhou one summer. When I got off the train, there were more than a dozen rickshaws neatly lined up in front of the station. From the body to the handlebars, there was a clean white cloth canopy on it. Under the shade of the cloth, you can avoid the pain of dazzling and scorching skin in the hot summer.This method is indeed legal and well-meaning, but other regions are too conservative and have not been imitated according to the law, which is a pity. In the early days of Taiwan’s recovery, rickshaws with huge wheels, tall feet, and short handles could still be seen on the market. The shape of these cars was exactly the same as the Japanese Toyo cars seen in the movie screens.The old friend Zhuang Zhuchuan took such a rickshaw to and from get off work when he received it.One day I was in a hurry to go out to discuss business, and Mr. Zhuang insisted that I go out in his rickshaw. Since the situation was unstoppable, I had no choice but to give it a try.Unexpectedly, when the car reached the ground, because the stirrups of the car were too high from the ground, when I got out of the car, I stepped on the ground and stumbled my ankle heavily, which made it difficult for me to walk for a few days. A second-hand Toyo car.

Before the Anti-Japanese War, brother Zhang Zhida, a famous photographer, opened a Mingming Photography Agency in Dong’an Market, Beiping. When the business was booming, he suddenly started researching and manufacturing tricycles on a whim.The first tricycle left the factory, not only the golden hook flounder belt is shining brightly, but also the flywheel brakes are flexible and flexible. I must keep this first tricycle and give it to him for publicity.At that time, the author lived in Xicheng, and his office was in Beicheng. Sooner or later, he had to pass the Jinaoyulian Bridge on Wenjin Street.Although the bridge is not steep and towering, the slope is high and deep, and the body is heavy. Before halfway up, the strength has weakened. The driver has to get off the car to push and pull to cross the bridge safely.Under such circumstances, he had no choice but to take it back and re-research and transform it.

After several years of painstaking research, he succeeded in researching, reducing the weight of the vehicle, and crossing the bridge on a bicycle.However, on the market, a large number of tricycles of all kinds have been released one after another. Some drivers are in the front and some are behind, because this type of tricycle is very similar to the four-wheeled vehicle of Lushan Lunjin Wuxianghou in the past. Everyone calls it Kongming car.The advantage is that there is no shielding head in front, so you have to see it, and it is convenient to talk to the driver. The driver is sweating so that the sweat will not splash around and affect the passengers.The downside is that if a car accident occurs, the passengers bear the brunt.For the sake of traffic safety, this vehicle was soon eliminated for the first time.Later, someone invented a Shuangfeiyan tricycle. Passengers and riders sit side by side, so that they can talk to the driver without obstructing the view. But there is also a shortcoming, that is, the center of gravity is to the left, and it is easy to overturn, which is not safe. was also eliminated.

Tricycles in Taiwan were considered a new thing at the beginning, but the seats are still square, just like Toyo cars.Another special thing is that in the mainland, no matter if you are pulling a foreign car or riding a three-wheeler, you will not put up the hood of the car unless you are forced to.Because of a car canopy, it takes too much effort to kick it up for a ride.Taiwan is good, no matter it’s raining or raining, the broken and dirty car hood will always be put up and not put down, and it’s tied tightly with wide rubber belts. Not too happy! At present, the tricycles in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other big cities have all been purchased by the authorities a few years ago to provide employment guidance, and they were diverted to other industries. The tricycles have all disappeared from the market.Now only a few counties and cities in the eastern and southern parts of the country still have a few tricycles driving in the streets and alleys. Most of the taxis in these counties and cities don’t use a stopwatch or a metered fare. It costs 30 yuan to get on the bus. how much.Therefore foreign tourists don't know what is going on, and often make noise to the police station to resolve disputes, which adds infinite trouble to the police officers.Therefore, every time the local government declares that it wants to ban tricycles, those who ride tricycles are of course desperate to fight for it, and even ordinary citizens do not necessarily agree with such a move.Because there is no way to improve the non-metered taxis for a while, it costs 30 yuan to get on the taxi, which is twice as expensive as a tricycle. Of course, we support the suspension of the ban on tricycles and continue to drive as usual.

In fact, to be honest, in some counties, cities, towns and towns, the roads are wide enough and there are not many vehicles. As long as the electric motors on the tricycles are banned and removed to ensure safety and reduce noise, it will be fine.The most important thing is to organize taxis so that they can comply with the government's regulations on metered fares, and then it's not too late to ban tricycles!Why bother to ban tricycles first. The author visited Hong Kong and Thailand the year before last, and the traffic congestion in Bangkok, Thailand, and Beijing was even more serious than in Taipei. Except for the short-distance ride on Yaowarat Road and Shilong Road, there is also a human-powered tricycle. gone.However, when visiting counties and cities other than Bangkok, there are always three or four rickshaws waiting for passengers at the crossroads. The decorations on each car are bright and pleasing to the eye, clean and beautiful.Ask the local residents. They also think that tricycles are cheap and convenient for traveling short distances. They are now saving energy. The Thai government probably won’t ban them in the short term. When I went sightseeing in Hong Kong, I saw a long-lost rickshaw at the Kowloon Pier in Hong Kong. It was roughly the same as the rickshaw in Shanghai back then, but the paint on the body was brighter.Most of the rickshaw passengers in Hong Kong and Kowloon are blue-eyed and yellow-haired tourists from other countries, who are curious to drive foreign meat. When foreign Chinese see the long-lost rickshaw, they seem to cast a bewildered and friendly look.Although rickshaws are now extinct in Taiwan, even tricycles are regarded as an outdated means of transportation and are on the verge of being completely eliminated.It is expected that in another ten or eight years, the next generation will have to go to Hong Kong and Kowloon to see the rare rickshaws.In the 1960s and 1970s, rickshaws and tricycles all disappeared from their brilliance.