National Tide 1980

In old age, there were not only many temple fairs and temple markets in the capital, but each had its own characteristics.

Although many people are confused and confused, there is still a clear difference between temple fairs and temple markets.

Temple fairs are mainly for offering incense, and temple markets are mainly for selling goods.

Moreover, the time cycles of the two are also different. Temple fairs are held once a year, and temple markets are held every month.

Let’s first talk about the temple fairs in Beijing that focus on offering incense.

The first one in the queue is the Laoye Temple in Qianmen Wengcheng.

The so-called Laoye Temple is actually the Guandi Temple. Old people in the capital all call Guandi "Laoye".

Speaking of which, there are actually more than a hundred Laoye temples in Beijing, but the one in Qianmen Wengcheng is the most special.

Because it opens the temple on the first day of the first lunar month throughout the year.

This "scarcity" makes Guandi here particularly proud and incorruptible.

Everyone feels that since the "master" here does not care about folk incense, he is naturally impartial.

Since there is no malpractice for personal gain, it must be effective.

So from a time perspective, there will never be anything earlier than this temple fair.

The incense here can also be said to be the most prosperous among all the temples in the capital.

Every year after New Year's Eve, at midnight on the first day of the first lunar month, people all over the capital who want to offer incense flock to the Laoye Temple in Qianmen Wengcheng to offer incense.

Because there were so many people, it was impossible to light incense according to the rules for Emperor Guan here. People just threw the incense into the incense pond.

So much so that the flames in the fragrant pond were two or three feet high and never stopped.

In addition to the Guandi Temple, during the first lunar month, people in the capital also go to the Wuxiancai Temple.

The Five Gods of Wealth refer to the five thieves Cao Renguang, Liu Yiguang, Li Chengguang, Ge Xinguang and Zhang Zhiguang who acted chivalrously and robbed the rich to help the poor.

Therefore, this temple fair is naturally close to the people. The most famous activities are "picking up money" and "borrowing ingots".

In order to make a fortune, everyone rushes to participate and get good luck.

In addition, during the first month, there are Baiyunguan Temple Fair and Yonghegong Temple Fair in Beijing.

The main activity of Baiyun Temple is on the eighth day of the first lunar month, "Shun Xing", when people go to the Xingxiu Hall to worship their natal stars.

The Lama Temple is full of lamas. People go there from the 29th of the first lunar month to the first of the second lunar month, mainly to watch the Tibetan Buddhist custom of lamas fighting ghosts.

In March, it was the turn of the Pantao Palace Temple Fair.

This temple fair is famous for its many gods and goddesses as well as its many stalls.

In addition to the statues of gods in the temple, the people in the capital paid homage to the relief sculptures in the temple.

From the Tathagata of the West, the Queen Mother, to gods and goddesses from all walks of life.

The market in front of the temple gate also vaguely echoes it.

Not only are there a lot of local food, toys for children, daily necessities and clothing, but there are also a lot of people doing tricks.

It really sounds like gods from all walks of life have come to attend the meeting.

Therefore, although the Pantao Palace in the past was small, it was well-known throughout the country, not just in the capital.

There is also a dust-dusting party at Dongyue Temple in March.

Although Dongyue Temple is most famous for the Seventy-Six Divisions of Hell.

What about climbing a mountain of knives, descending from a frying pan, holding a pillar of fire, being struck by lightning, rolling on a nail board, cutting out tongues...

The entire temple is a scene of hell, which looks a bit scary and makes people stop in fear.

But don’t forget, there is also Yuelao Hall here.

In the past, if the son of any family was still unmarried in his twenties, the parents would come to Dongyue Temple to buy a red thread and ask Yue Xia to find a match for their son.

Therefore, this temple fair is still very close to the people.

In addition, the water flowing through Qihua Gate (Chaoyang Gate) is the Tonghui River. Many lotus roots and water chestnuts are sold at this temple fair, which are dug from nearby.

This also corresponds to the good omen of "a match made in heaven" and ensures the prosperity of incense.

In April, people in the capital make it a point to go to the temple fair in Miaofeng Mountain.

Because of the long distance, people have to ride donkeys and take a train once they leave Xizhimen, just like a spring outing.

Along the way, in addition to admiring the spring scenery, passing the tea sheds with three ginseng, and watching the devout pilgrims kowtowing all the way, you can also see the "Laohui" from all over the country walking on stilts, carrying incense sticks, and beating gongs and drums to attend meetings.

They are all Lianjiazi, and they are very vindictive towards each other.

Although according to the rules, "Laohui" must be polite to each other, isn't it easy to find faults?

If you say you are not polite enough, you will get into a fight.

Therefore, you can often see several "martial arts exchanges" along the way.

In the eyes of many people, as long as they are not "old men" who have gone to the mountains with a bruised nose and a swollen face, they are not heroes.

But once you go up the mountain, everything becomes peaceful and no one can do anything, even if you don't want to.

Otherwise, the "shuanhui" will be very embarrassed and will come forward to "discipline".

Think about it, as long as anyone who can organize events to catch up with the party is not only rich, but also capable, he or she is a wealthy person from all walks of life.

In May, it’s time for people in Beijing to go to the Reclining Buddha Temple for worship.

When you go there, you can not only see the two generals of Hengha and the Four Heavenly Kings, but more importantly, you can touch the Reclining Buddha.

There is a custom in the capital that people should touch the reclining Buddha wherever they feel uncomfortable. If they have a headache, they should touch their head, and if their feet hurt, they should touch their feet.

Therefore, the characteristic of this temple fair is that there are many patients.

No one knows whether he is in charge or not, but people in the past believe it anyway.

The Zhongding Temple Fair in June is a rural-style temple fair, and it is also the home venue for "old guilds" from all over the country to spend money and gain fame.

Outside the temple gate, there are many people selling not only agricultural tools but also agricultural and sideline products.

Even the tea sheds are sponsored by various "old associations", and pilgrims can drink for free.

At the same time, those "old guilds" also have a place where they can show off their skills openly. They will take turns performing in the first hall of the temple.

There are all kinds of five tiger sticks, Shaolin sticks, gun and knife fights...

Unlike the Miaofeng Mountain Temple Fair, there were fewer fights at this time, and it was purely a literary competition.

The Jiangnan City God's Temple is the busiest in July, and the emphasis is on the City God's patrol.

So this is a stilt competition among "old associations" from all over the country, but it is also the most prone to getting angry and fighting.

You know, everyone has to perform together, but the level is different, and the competition venue is in front of the temple, not inside the temple.

The varying degrees of applause given by the masses can easily arouse the emotions of the "old association".

People who cannot afford to lose often like to pick fights and cause trouble, and use their fists to decide victory or defeat.

In addition, in the evening of this day, there is an event throughout the city where lotus lanterns are set off to worship ancestors.

There are nursery rhymes in the capital, lotus lanterns, lotus lanterns, light them today and throw them away tomorrow.

On this day, river lanterns will be set off in Beihai, Moat, Tonghui River, wherever there is water in the capital.

In August, the temple fair of the Zaogun Temple ends the whole year.

Needless to say, the Kitchen God is the founder of the kitchen and restaurant, so people in the catering industry come to worship him.

The food at this temple fair is also quite unique. Some restaurants will honor the ancestor and set up stalls in front of the temple to sell their specialty food.

The special tea and snacks of the tea house will also be sold in front of the temple on this day.

And because the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, there are also many people selling rabbits.

After this, there will be no more temple fairs when the weather gets cold.

Because regardless of whether it is for monks, Taoists or nuns, the days for holding temple fairs should be chosen in spring, summer and autumn, which are pleasant days for traveling.

Temple fairs are held in winter, except for the Lunar New Year Festival, which is currently an exception. At other times, there is a lack of mass base, which will definitely affect income.

As for the ones held all year round in the capital, which rotate according to the day every month, they are actually the four major temple markets.

On the third day is the Earth Temple, on the fourth and fifth day is the Baita Temple, on the seventh and eighth day is the Huguo Temple, and on the ninth and tenth day is the Longfu Temple.

The most striking feature of this kind of temple market is that stalls are set up both inside and outside the temple.

Longfu Temple has the highest style.

In addition to a few old bookstores, there are also those selling cultural toys, calligraphy and paintings, and jewelry and jade.

But it is mainly famous for its bird market, pigeon market, songbird market and flower market, which is equivalent to the flower and bird market in the past.

Baita Temple and Huguo Temple are in the middle.

There are many department stores, but they are all similar in that they mainly sell daily necessities.

The Tu Tu Temple is the lowest grade, selling agricultural tools, agricultural and sideline products, and ordinary flowers.

Seriously speaking, the flower market, Tianqiao, and Changdian in the capital are special cases among special cases.

Because these three places are essentially a large market born out of the temple market and evolved over a long period of time.

The flower market evolved into a market because the incense in the Fire Temple was cut off.

It is held on the fourth day of every month, the fourth, fourteenth and twenty-fourth of the lunar month.

The main products sold are silk flowers, velvet flowers, offerings flowers, rouge and gouache, and various women's products from the capital, as well as bamboo and willow products.

To put it bluntly, the flower market is a place where girls and wives like to hang out, and the male customers always accompany the female customers.

The origin of the flyover is similar to that of the flower market. It was originally a flea market in front of the Red Temple.

Because it was originally a poor place and was designed to serve the poor. Even though Tianqiao is located in a second-hand goods market in the capital, its level is not high.

At first, it mainly focused on daily necessities, as well as scrap copper and iron. It was a bit like a place where rag collectors gathered.

Later, it gradually evolved into a business focusing on used glasses and clothing appraisals. Only then did Tianqiao begin to prosper, and only then did buskers appear.

Therefore, in such a place, there are many local gangsters who bully the market, there are many tiger stalls that deceive people, and the food they sell is unhygienic, and most of them are cheap.

Even the artist's performance is not top-notch. To say it is "three vulgarities" is to glorify it.

In fact, many flyover artists in the past refused to accept female guests.

For example, for cross talk on the floor, this was the popular saying at the time.

"Female guest, please leave. What we are talking about is not human language. Don't dirty your ears."

Let’s put it this way, the people who visit the overpass include streetwalkers who are not doing their jobs, unemployed poor people, farmers who have gone to the city, and even the cooks and assistants in small workshops who have a break on the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, as well as local and foreign small businessmen. Buyers and sellers.

Especially because the overpass is adjacent to the Bada Hutong, this place is even more shameful by the upper-class people and regarded as a low-class place.

Let's put it this way, anyone in the capital who pays attention to rules, no matter adults, children, men or women, are not allowed to come to the overpass.

If you want to relieve your boredom and watch sideshows, you can go to the Chengnan Amusement Park near the overpass.

There are many famous actors and actresses there, and there are dedicated people to manage it. There are absolutely no meatheads or ruffians.

Having said that, this is probably the reason why many people are studying flyovers but still can't come up with any results.

Because it is impossible for educated scholars to come.

When have you ever heard of people like Lu Xun, Zhang Henshui, and Liang Shiqiu visiting the overpass?

The master who has some status seems to be just Tongzhi, a big wronged person who was cheated by the eunuch.

In fact, the reason why Tianqiao reached its peak in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China and became famous throughout the country is really not that mysterious.

Because it is held every day, the consumption level is low, and the programs are non-vegetarian, it is a good place for "just bad money".

There were so many poor people back then, and most of them were illiterate.

So as far as the real situation is concerned, rather than saying that Tianqiao is a paradise for civilians, it is more appropriate to say that it is a "paradise for the poor".

Of course, where there is low there is high, and where there is vulgarity there is elegance.

Changdian is a completely different example from Tianqiao. It is the only "cultural market" in Beijing.

Although the Changdian Temple Fair is called a temple fair, it is not named after the temple.

Although it has the time attribute of a temple fair, it is held once a year in Neptune Village Park, roughly from the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

However, in essence, it is a market that combines elegance and vulgarity, business and entertainment.

Because the scope of the Changdian Temple Fair covers Liulichang, all the items sold are related to culture, taking a high-end and elegant route.

What about jewelry and jade, antique calligraphy and painting, second-hand goods and books, the four treasures of the study...

In old age, just selling calligraphy and painting studios would stretch for a mile.

You know, the fake calligraphy and paintings that are piled up in merchants' warehouses that no one pays attention to usually have to be "released" in the first month.

But it is undeniable that there are treasures hidden in these old goods.

Whoever has a good eye can pick it up and buy Gu Yuexuan's snuff bottle, or rare ancient books, or ancient paintings imitated by famous artists.

This is called "recognizing heroes with a keen eye", and there are many people who find high-quality products.

Therefore, many foreigners come here because of its reputation.

In fact, since the end of the Qing Dynasty, blond foreigners and Japanese women have been coming to the factories and making noises with them.

During the Republic of China, most of the people who visited Changdian were literati and celebrities.

After liberation, the Changdian temple fairs were still dominated by intellectual groups.

So at this point, we can roughly understand Ning Weimin’s specific planning ideas for the North Gate and East Gate routes for this Temple of Heaven New Year Garden Party.

He wanted to move the former factory to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and Danbi Bridge, turning these two places into the old Neptune Village Park.

No matter inside or outside the courtyard walls, there are books filling the buildings and treasures filling the streets.

Only then can we use these high-quality goods to make money from foreigners and upper-class people.

Otherwise, why are cars only allowed to park at the north gate and east gate?

Only bicycles can be parked at the west gate and south gate, not even motorcycles.

Ning Weimin's intention is to differentiate between customer groups.

In fact, you are not afraid of being deserted. Most people do not want to stop and are not afraid. On the contrary, it is still a dream.

Because what people who like these things need is a relatively quiet environment.

There are too many people here, crowding every stall, which will actually reduce the interest of real customers.

Of course, those who just want a lively place and don’t like this kind of cultural atmosphere are bound to not be disappointed.

Because the two routes to the south gate and west gate were designed by Ning Weimin for ordinary people.

Those who leave from here will definitely find their fun once they pass through the Chengzhen Gate.

In fact, to put it bluntly, it was inspired by Kang Shude’s description of the Changdian temple fair.

Ning Weimin combined it with his own memories of the future New Year temple fair.

It is equivalent to using the space of Temple of Heaven Park to open a total of two festivals.

One is the temple market along the central axis.

The other is the temple fairs and folk entertainment centered on the Zhai Palace in the west.

In this way, no matter high-end or low-end, elegant or popular, basically everything is included.

It can almost satisfy most people's preferences and catch all customers in one go.

Like now, among the three people who came from Ditan, the secretary and the deputy director clearly felt the charm of the high-end temple market, and they couldn't move.

Not to mention anything else, just the stalls on the outer wall of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests dazzled their eyes.

The endless porcelain stalls, second-hand goods stalls, countless large and small book stalls, and the special arts and crafts manufacturers one after another...

Which one is not worth taking a closer look at?

What porcelain, copperware, silverware, second-hand goods, old books, old newspapers, bamboo carvings, wood carvings, stone carvings, tooth carvings, jade carvings, hair salons, badges, seals, pens and ink, paper, fans, paperweights, ink cartridges, inkstones, pen holders...

Those items are on white cotton paper. When you open the bag, the single items are floating. Each item is attractive and dazzling. No matter how you wear it, you will never get tired of looking at it...

The secretary and the deputy director unknowingly walked around for half an hour. Even if they just took a quick look at the flowers, they were not even halfway through.

They were a little afraid to look at it, knowing that if they wanted to take a closer look, they would probably not be able to see all the goods on the stalls in one day.

What is particularly worth mentioning is that both the secretary and the deputy director found something they liked, and they did not control their hands.

Secretary Ganqing’s hobby is writing big characters.

When he walked to Dai Yuexuan's stall, he wanted to buy their Hu pen after looking at it.

For no other reason than because Dai Yuexuan was a veteran who had customized brushes for the first generation of leaders, he specially displayed the two styles of brushes customized for leaders in glass covers.

Although the price is very expensive, eight yuan a piece is enough to buy a hero pen.

But the secretary still took out sixteen yuan without hesitation and bought one.

The deputy director is not as elegant as the secretary, but the problem is that he loves to listen to storytelling.

Although it is not as fascinating as Liu Baorui's cross talk "Book Lovers Play Casserole", it is still a bit of a mystery.

On weekdays, he likes to search for storybooks everywhere and buy them whenever he sees them. He has all the storybooks at home.

Today, he accidentally discovered a set of "Twelve Money Darts" in the Republic of China among the old books in Laixun Pavilion. It was like encountering a treasure.

He wanted to feast his eyes on such a story that he had never heard of before.

So even though the price of twelve yuan made him feel pain, he held his nose and paid.

I thought it was like receiving twelve darts.

In short, even they themselves did not expect that this inattention actually caused the Temple of Heaven to win against them.

They each had complicated feelings in their hearts, and unconsciously looked at each other's things in their hands, shaking their heads and smiling bitterly.

As for the driver, although he was not interested in these elegant gadgets and could not understand them, he just reluctantly accompanied the leader around.

But I also feel that my horizons have been opened.

And he also did not escape the fate of contributing profits to the Temple of Heaven Park out of his own pocket.

Because for popular entertainment, Changdian also has a few things that are very famous. Not only are they copied by the Temple of Heaven, they are very attractive.

Moreover, the Temple of Heaven Park also has its own innovations, which are even more difficult to refuse.

Speaking of the famous things in Changdian, apart from the kites, they are the candied haws and windmills.

Although these two things can be found in any New Year temple fair, Changdian is famous for its characteristics.

The candied haws are one foot long. There is a saying that goes, "Three feet are shaken by the wind and are about to break. Dip a bunch of gourds in rock sugar."

It is also three or four feet long, made of mountain red instead of hawthorn, smeared with sugar paste, and tied into a large string.

But none of them are edible.

Just imagine, these things have been standing in the wind and sand for a long time. How can they be eaten when they are covered with sand?

People who buy him just have a lot of spare money in their pockets, just for fun and to look happy.

The same goes for windmills. The windmills in Changdian cannot be seen elsewhere. They are authentic local handicrafts made by farmers in the suburbs of Beijing taking advantage of the winter slack.

They tied sorghum poles into frames shaped like "日", "田" and "品", and used sorghum strips to form a circle with a diameter of three or four inches, with a small axis in the middle. Dongchang paper strips were dyed in red and green colors. Glue the hoop and shaft into a colorful wind wheel.

Use clay to make a snare drum frame the size of a copper coin, and use two layers of hemp paper to frame it together to make a drum skin to make a snare drum.

Then put the wind wheel and the small drum on the stand, and twist a small stick with hemp rope behind the small shaft of the wind wheel. When the wind wheel moves, the small stick will make a drumming sound. If the wind wheel keeps spinning in the wind, the small drum will keep banging.

On the "pin" shaped shelf, twenty or thirty wind wheels can be installed, so there are twenty or thirty small drums.

As the wind blows, there will be a sound of drums.

Those who buy windmills and sugar-coated haws are on both sides of the gate entering the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

When the three people from the local altar approached this place, they heard the noisy sound of windmills.

The ancients said that a pond of frogs singing can replace half of the people's encouragement, and the sound of the windmill at the door is really no less than ten people's encouragement.

So many people, both Chinese and foreign, were attracted to this door.

However, the price is prohibitive.

Because there are no small windmills here. The cheapest one is in the shape of "日" and costs three yuan.

By analogy, the word "tian" means six yuan, and the word "pin" means ten yuan.

Opposite the windmill, the candied haws on the other side of the entrance are the same.

Not to mention the oversized ones, they are just advertisements to recruit people, and no one really buys them.

Normal-sized candied haws are the real deal.

It is indeed very beautiful. The sugar wind is long and the sugar color is shiny. It looks like a handicraft.

But they dared to sell the "Shanli Hong" with seven fruits for 50 cents, the stuffed "Toad Spit Honey" for one piece, and the "Baobao Yam" with various nuts, which was the most expensive, selling for two pieces.

The three people from Ditan looked at these things. They were all good, but they all thought they were expensive, and they really couldn't bear to pay for them.

Soon they discovered that the only people who were actually willing to be fooled were foreigners.

For example, two foreigners, one in each hand, came back holding a big windmill with the word "pin" high in their hands.

The two of them walked in the spring breeze and listened to the sound, feeling very contented.

One person also held a bunch of candied haws in his hand.

That's called a wealthy person. He holds more than 20 yuan of foreign exchange coupons and does this.

It really makes them have to admire Tiantan's money-making skills.

Looking back now, this foreigner is simply stupid as a Yanggu.

It’s not like one person is worth twenty-five, but the joint author is worth two hundred and fifty.

I don't know if they are envious or jealous, but the three of them are about to leave.

However, at this time, new products came to the candied haws stall.

The two boxes of goods delivered by Tiantan workers riding three-wheelers turned out to be ice cream, and it was very expensive, costing 50 cents each.

This made many people laugh.

The first impression is that everyone thinks that the Temple of Heaven Park is too unreliable. How can it be sold in such a cold weather?

And it’s so expensive.

You know, the most expensive thing these days is the small bowl of polar bear ice cream, which only costs 30 cents each.

The milk-flavored ice cream that everyone eats on weekdays costs two cents, and the most common popsicles cost a few cents.

The man selling candied haws on a clinker took out two ice creams, tore off the packaging, and inserted them into the glass window where the candied haws were placed. Everyone was stunned at once.

I'm surprised that the ice cream has an unusual shape, it actually looks like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

And it's not just a shape, it's a three-dimensional relief.

Doors, windows, glazed tiles, and roofs are all clear.

The most important thing is that the color is so moist, it looks like butter and is extremely delicate.

There is a saying, if you call someone, call someone, but a thousand calls will not answer. If someone calls for goods, they will come with a nod.

At this time, people from the Temple of Heaven introduced him again, and it worked.

I heard that it is a trial product and it contains a lot of milk. It is not comparable to any popsicle ice cream on the market today.

And because it is winter, the price is discounted by 10 cents. In summer, the price is 60 cents.

Some people can't help but get ready to make a move.

When I looked again, it was the foreigners who got there first.

A pair of dogs and a man actually walked over and grabbed the lead. They took a mouthful of white cream with sweet expressions on their faces.

The people in the capital at the scene were finally angry.

No one wanted to stare at it any longer, and many people who prided themselves on being strong were eager to spend money to try something new.

The Ditan driver who was following the two leaders couldn't resist, so he bought one, tore open the package, and couldn't wait to bite it.

However, I was immediately intoxicated by the unimaginably rich milk smell, and even turned a deaf ear to the leader's words.

When the mouthful slowly melted in his mouth and he swallowed it, he exclaimed, "It's so damn delicious!"

Then I was shocked.

ah? Why do the two leaders keep looking at me?

Do they also want to...

Oh, it seems that I am too anxious.

What the leader said was that he should take a photo of the ice cream first.