Chapter 8 The Story of Po Street in Beiping

It seems that the term "Pop Street" has not been mentioned for decades. Even if they grew up in Beiping, middle-aged people in their forties now probably don't know this business.What kind of method is the so-called splashing on the street?At the beginning of the founding of the Republic of China, let’s take the Wupailou area of ​​Qianmen Street as an example. In the middle is the Yonglu (now the express lane), which is one or two feet higher than the sidewalks on both sides.Although the Yonglu Road is high, it is also paved with layers of gravel and mud.The weather in Beiping is arid and rains are scarce, but during the rainy season, the rain is continuous and endless, and it doesn't stop for ten days and a half months.Therefore, some people describe the roads in Beiping: "On a sunny day, there is three feet of dirt, and when there is rain, a street is full of mud." Although the words are ridiculous, they are also true.

I heard from people of the older generation that in the beginning, most of the people in Pujie in Beiping were Duizibing who changed their careers.At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was a small government hall on every street. All the troops crossing the border, officers and soldiers guarding sentries, and guards patrolling would rest their legs and drink water in the small government hall.Those who wait for the official hall are the so-called duizibing.When I was a child, I still remembered the remnants of Dongdan, Xisi and the small official hall.Although the street-splashers are skilled at pouring a spoonful of water, the water is fine and even, but when passing the road, if the street-splashers are not paying attention, there is no guarantee that there will not be a speck of water splashing on the shoes and socks of pedestrians.Regardless of whether it is justified or not, you have to smile and apologize to others. If you have no self-cultivation and go to the court with people (the police station was called the pavilion) all day long to judge, then there is no work.

Because the scavengers are also considered to be from the army, the salary is also called customs salary.Close one and a half with the first hand, and only one with the lower hand.Only the street sweepers in Zhongshan Park are hired by the park board at its own expense. Two and a half of the first ones are closed and two are the second ones. Not only are they paid better, but their work is easier.But on one level, the park scavengers have to spread loess on the ground and roll the roads with rollers, so the roads in Zhongshan Park are never paved with asphalt.Because the chairman of the board of directors of the park was Zhu Qiqian, the chief of internal affairs, he thought that the sun on the asphalt road was not easy to dissipate heat, and it was too hot.If it is leveled with loess, the water will be poured evenly and moderately before sunset, and you can walk around the park in black satin shoes with mille-soled soles, and you will be refreshed.

But if you are tired from shopping, Dongsi and Xidan still have relatively intact small government halls that have not been demolished. In case of strong wind and showers, you can still drink in the small government halls near the collapse of the wall and smoke a cigarette.Later, the Jingshi Police Department was established, and the cleaning of street environment and sanitation was assigned to the District Office inside and outside the Police Department.Carrying water to splash the streets in summer, shoveling snow and taking it away to clean the streets in winter, when the street lights have not been changed to electric lights and oil lamps are still used, lighting the lamps and adding oil every day is also one of the jobs of the scavenger.

The main job of the scavenger is to splash the street. They work in teams of two, a big double-eared wooden barrel that can only be carried by two people working together, and a long wooden spoon made of rattan. Earn more wages.Splashing water also needs to be skillful, it has to be splashed far and evenly, people pour 20 barrels of water to make the street wet and even, if you are a novice, you can choose 25 barrels or just one. It's all over the place, the hard work is not for nothing.Back then, most of the gentle people who walked on the street had white socks and soaped shoes. Once they sat down in the teahouse, they had to dust off the dust with a shoe duster, otherwise the uppers of the shoes would be covered with dirt, which would be very uncomfortable.

It is said that when the Empress Dowager Cixi came to the midsummer, she would take a jade chariot to visit the Summer Palace.Every time they come and go, the Ministry of Internal Affairs must send workers to pave the road with loess and pour clean water on the street, so that the soil must not raise dust.Because there are too many nobles and nobles who are escorted by the retinue, if the boots, hats, gowns and gowns are full of dust, and the emperor loses his appearance, the person who does this kind of errand will not be able to eat and walk around, so this errand must be served properly carefulness.Although I heard people say that, we have never caught up with how the loess paved the way and the clean water splashed the street.

In the twelfth year of the Republic of China, although the Qingshe was already housed, Guangxu's imperial concubine Jin once returned to Ning to visit her relatives once. At that time, the imperial guards of Shenwumen were responsible for cleaning the streets.From Beishangmen through Jingshan East Street to Zhonglao Hutong, it is clean and dust-free. It is the cleanest street in Beiping that I have seen. Talking about the street scavenger, he couldn't help thinking of an interesting story about the famous actress Mei Lanfang and the scavenger.Before Mei Lanfang lived in Lucao Garden in Nancheng, before moving to Wuliang Adult Hutong, Mei's grandmother died of illness, and during her coffin at home, she chanted Ao Yankou every day.Mei has a good friendship with the two directors of the police, Ji Shian and Yan Shaobai. The Mei family is full of cars and horses every day, and many dignitaries come to pay homage, so the police sent a few security guards and a few scavengers. Sit down the crackdown and clean up the streets.

In the restaurants where wealthy families hold funerals and banquets in Beiping, there are middle tables for handymen, etc., and the scavengers who are sent to clean up, of course, eat and drink with wine and meat every day.A dear friend probably got a little drunk, and suddenly said in a whimsical way that Boss Mei looked like a fairy in the sky when she put on costumes, and she looked like a big girl with thin skin and white flesh when she was off the costumes.If anyone of us has the guts to go over and put his arms around Boss Mei to be good (the people in the city call kissing to be good), I will give him a big head.As a result, there was an old man of two hundred and five among the scavengers who was not ashamed. When he heard that there was a big ocean to take, he immediately agreed and was willing to go.When Mei's grandmother stayed with her and started hanging, and monks and lamas sent scriptures to send holy scriptures to burn the building, Boss Mei, who was qualified to bear the weight of grandchildren, was dressed in sackcloth and crowned on Siman's face. A person jumped out of the crowd with his arms around Mei and kissed her wildly a few times before slipping into the crowd.Just in time for the detective captain Ma Yulin to lead a patrol, when he saw someone came out of the crowd in a hurry and ran away, knowing there must be a reason, he caught up with him and left this person on the spot.When the actual situation was found out, Captain Ma was in a difficult situation. This matter was neither robbery nor robbery. Haha, he had no money to fine him, but he would have nothing to eat when he was locked up.

After thinking about it and punishing this old man, from Xuanwai Street to Caishikou Street, he splashed the street once a day for ten days.Although this old man has earned a fortune, the ten days of hard work, after careful calculation, is really a bit bitter.Xiao Nian's detective team took care of the people, and they took the priority and urgency just right, and they were joking but not cruel. It's really admirable.Decades later, "Splash Street" has become a historical term, so let's write something about it now or make people over fifty years old feel nostalgic for the past.