November 2020 Reading Notes 3: Chengdu under the Microscope
? 1. How did Chengdu’s teahouse culture form?
? Friends in Chengdu all know that if you go to the streets of Chengdu, you will find teahouses all over the streets. We usually meet up with friends to chat and go to teahouses. How many teahouses are there in Chengdu? According to historical records, during the late Qing Dynasty, there were 667 streets and 454 teahouses in Chengdu. In Chengdu, there are teahouses in downtown areas, tea stalls in alleyways, teahouses in restaurants, and teahouses in parks. It can be said that there are teahouses everywhere. Some people even say that a Chengdu person spends one-tenth of his life "sitting in teahouses." In Wang Di's view, the core reason for the formation of Chengdu's teahouse culture is that the locals live far away.
? There is a characteristic in the rural areas near Chengdu. Everyone lives scatteredly, which is very different from the rural areas in the north. In the North China Plain, farmers gather in villages, their land is outside the village, and they leave the village when they need to work. As we often see in film and television works, villagers squat at the edge of the village to eat, smoke or chat, and their daily lives are very closely connected. But this is not the case in the rural areas of the Chengdu Plain. Until the reform and opening up, farmers in Chengdu did not live in villages, but in farmhouses in bamboo forests, closer to the fields they farmed. When they need to buy or sell things, or when they want to meet relatives and friends, they will gather in a place called the countryside, which is a bit like what we usually call a market. In fact, the same goes for many other areas in Sichuan. I grew up in Zigong, and teahouses were also the usual places for my parents and grandfather to socialize and relax. If a farmer wants to sell the vegetables and chickens he grows at home to the rural market, he can only rely on carrying burdens, pushing carts or carrying bamboo poles on his back, which is very hard work. After selling the goods and making money, they naturally wanted to drink hot tea in the teahouse on the street and take a rest. Moreover, because they live far away, they rarely communicate with each other on weekdays. When they come to the countryside, they will naturally want to see friends and chat. The teahouse for resting is just such a social place. For Chengdu people, teahouses not only provide rest and entertainment, but also provide daily services and are public facilities in the daily lives of local people.
? Today’s Chengdu people still love teahouses even though they live not far away and don’t need to go to teahouses to wash their faces. According to data released by the Chengdu Municipal Government at the end of 2018, there are nearly 10,000 teahouses in Chengdu, ranking first in the country in terms of number. It can be said that teahouses are rooted in Chengdu’s cultural genes. Why does this cultural gene have such strong vitality? Sitting in a teahouse is a daily social way for Chengdu people. People from all walks of life and walks of life go to teahouses to meet friends and chat.
2. Pao Ge culture in Chengdu
Pao Ge symbolizes Chengdu people’s loyalty and disciplined ethos. From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, Pao Ge was the civil society organization with the most profound influence, the most extensive influence, and the largest population in Sichuan. Their organizational culture and spiritual temperament have also left indelible traces on Chengdu’s citizen culture and language characteristics. "Lost" used to refer to the death of a member of Pao Ge, but today we use it to refer to the execution of a corrupt official. Another example is "diarrhea", which used to be used internally by Pao Ge to accuse someone of being irresponsible. Today, in Chengdu dialect, it is used to describe this person as unreliable.
? How powerful was Brother Pao at that time? Someone once visited a local town in Chengdu. At that time, all political orders, economic taxes, crimes, penalties, thefts, legal proceedings and opium trading in this town were under the control of Brother Pao. Without their permission, no government orders would be issued. All are impassable. This is not just in individual places, but a common phenomenon in rural society in Sichuan. Brother Pao is not only very powerful in Sichuan, but also has high prestige. When Chengdu people have disputes, they go to teahouses to judge the dispute. To judge the dispute, you need to find a referee. This person is usually a pao brother who has a certain status in the local area.
As a historian who grew up in Chengdu, Teacher Wang Di’s historical research and thinking on Chengdu deserves the attention of everyone who is in Chengdu or is interested in Chengdu.
Recommendation index 4.2? stars