It is said that in the late 1920s, when the city of Beijing was not yet liberated, there was a land called "evil land". Facilitated by the foreign diaspora, the rapid influx of foreign liquor, pimps and big tobacco houses has made the place look like a drunken gold fan. Eventually, after 1949, the decaying realm went into decline.
According to the data, the existence of the "evil land" of Sin City is extremely short, and some people once described it as follows: "Ten years of downturn, justice is in the hands." ”
At that time, the old imperial city of Beiping was surrounded by Tatar walls, and this place was located on the east side of the Beijing city wall. Before the "Evil Land" was built, it was just a wasteland that no one cared about. Except for the foreign soldiers stationed near the embassy who trained to ride horses here, no one had ever been here. However, since receiving support from foreigners, it has quickly become the center of the city's nightlife.
In 1900, the Boxers went around killing foreigners, but in the end, the movement failed under the strangulation of Chinese and foreign reactionary forces. In 1920, more than two decades had passed since the Boxer Rebellion and the siege of the legations. At this time, the foreigners living in Beiping were terrified, and they were all on their toes, which led to the moral collapse after 1930.
At this time, in order to meet the needs of the people, the land was rapidly developed, and one after another beautifully decorated houses were built here, and one alley after another was opened up. Speculative merchants in the capital with a keen sense of smell quickly saw the business opportunities here, so they opened a large number of dance halls, bars, restaurants and even big smoke houses and kilns here.
Most of the foreigners who built the site were White Russians who could not return to their homeland, and they built many buildings here to suit their own tastes. After the completion of this place, the dignitaries and nobles in the capital came here to have fun. Seeing the development of this place, Europeans and Americans are also eager to move and want to get a piece of the pie. Under the joint protection of the White Russians and Europeans and Americans, the "evil land" became a safe haven for those who ate, drank and gambled.
At that time, foreign forces were huge, and the Government of the Republic of China had to swallow its anger. The Police of the Republic of China, fearing anger on foreigners, mostly stood idly by and let foreigners maintain their own law and order. Seeing that the government of the Republic of China was so afraid of foreign forces, those foreigners were even more fearless in the "evil land". Here they buy and sell, force good people to become prostitutes, and even take people's lives.
After that, more and more ugly forces poured in, and it became a vacuum zone independent of the Republic of China. In 1937, the capital fell, but the "evil land" was still lingering. By 1940, most of the inhabitants were criminals who could not return to their homeland, addicts who could not live without big smoke, prostitutes who lived on flesh and skin, and so on.
In this "evil land", there were once two fierce White Russian bustards: one named Shazhko and the other named Gilbert.
The two men did whatever it took to make money, and did not care about the life and death of the prostitute at all. Relying on the government's connivance in this area, the two made a lot of money. In their spare time, the two often go on a shopping spree on Morrison Avenue, eat and drink in a bakery opened by foreigners, talk about the situation in a café, and live a carefree life. But while they opened the kiln, they did not die well.
Eventually, one of them went crazy and the other became addicted to drugs.
Because the management here is too chaotic, many diseases are raging here. At the time of the Japanese invasion, the people of Beijing suffered from smallpox, tuberculosis, and the Black Death. And as the "evil land" of the fly camp dog, it is a collection of all diseases. Not only that, he also "contributed" a vicious disease to the people of the capital, that is, the smell of syphilis.
Despite the large number of criminals and evildoers, many of the residents here are also struggling to obtain a decent life. They find a partner here, get married, and work to earn money. There was a White Russian girl named Kolovina, who did not fall into the abyss after coming here, she was clean and self-reliant, and finally married her lover, and then left China together.
In 1941, the War of Resistance had reached a fever pitch. The people are fighting for their country and fighting the invaders in various ways. However, the kilns here are still open as usual, the prostitutes are swinging here to have fun, and the smoke is even more magnificently opened to the streets. In 1945, after the victory of the War of Resistance, the area once again ushered in a brief development.
However, after the founding of New China in 1949, the "evil land" collapsed violently and became the dust of history. Although the scene here has completely changed, there is still much to prove that this area once existed. Known as the "Island of Hope", yaslitang is still open to the public, attracting groups of tourists.
Some of the old hutongs have survived to the present, and they are interspersed with high-rise buildings in Beijing, which seem so incompatible. However, it is undeniable that these alleys have become monuments in a sense. Among them, some of the hutongs date back even to the 14th century and are full of Western architectural styles.
However, whether it is these historical sites, the residents who have lived here, or the survivors who survived the War of Resistance, in the end, they will be drowned in the long river of time. I hope that in the passage of time, people can understand the sadness and joy of this place according to the records of only a few words.
Resources:
["Midnight Peiping: "Evil Land", Beiping's Fallen Paradise", "Beiping Past"】