When it comes to teahouses in Beijing, people think of Lao She's drama of the same name. Perhaps because the old teahouse could not be seen later, the old Beijing teahouse in everyone's impression was the appearance of old Yutai.
In fact, in the early years, there were many kinds of teahouses in old Beijing, and people of all walks of life could find their own social and entertainment venues in them. According to the "Big Tea House" written by Beijing historian Jin Shoushen, the tea houses in Beijing are divided into large tea houses and special tea houses such as "books, Qing, wine, and wild". Among them, the large tea house is divided into four types: red furnace hall, nest hall, moving tea house and two meat shops.
Speaking of this big teahouse, it can be regarded as the "Big Mac" of the industry, and it is difficult for modern people to imagine how big it was back then. According to records, the TianhuiXuan Grand Tea House near Di'anmen in the Qing Dynasty had hundreds of houses, in addition to the elegant seats, courtyards, and oven rooms for making Manchu dim sum for guests. The guests who come and go here, from the relatives of the emperor and the state, to the dignitaries and nobles, down to the media pulling fibers, buying and selling cultural relics, etc., are very lively.
The first-class large tea house is named "Red Furnace Restaurant" because it serves oven-baked dim sum. The dim sum at the Red Furnace Hall is more exquisite, with large eight pieces, small eight pieces, fine eight pieces and Manchu dumplings as standard. Among them, The Aiwowo, Honey Twist, Horn Cake, Sugar Ears and Oven Baked Cakes made by Tianhuixuan are not only sweet and salty, but also have a good taste, but also have a beautiful appearance. The various snacks are made to the size of walnuts, six pieces per dish. Tea guests come to Tianhui Xuan early in the morning, brew a bowl of Longjing or incense chips, ask for a plate of snacks, listen to insects and birds while eating, chat and discuss, and enjoy idleness and comfort.
In the Qing Dynasty, there were many teahouses in the capital, and the famous red furnace tea houses were: Tianhuixuan outside the Di'an Gate; Tianquanxuan, Tianrenxuan, and Tianqixuan on Qianmen Street; Tianshouxuan in Beixinqiao; Tianfuxuan, Tiandexuan, and Tianyixuan outside FuchengMen. They are collectively known as the "Eight Great Xuan" in Beijing, and Tianhui Xuan ranks first among the Eight Great Xuans and is the largest teahouse in Beijing.
Wo Wo Restaurant, compared to the big tea house such as Tianhui Xuan, it specializes in snacks and snacks, and is named because Ofi Ai Wo Wo has done a good job. Others, such as forks, sugar ears, pot cakes, oven cakes, etc., are also exquisite and delicious.
The pot moving hall is between the two halls of the red furnace and the nest. Usually a large copper pot is placed at the door, and the sign next to it reads "Copper pot boiled three rivers" to entertain guests from all over the country. In addition to drinking tea, you can also eat oven cakes.
In the history of the development of teahouses, the "two meat shops" are a strange thing. The second meat shop is a tea and wine shop that evolved from a large tea house, but unlike the general tea house that only sells tea and wine, the second meat shop also has meat stir-fry dishes in addition to tea wine. Some regular customers want to eat after drinking tea, only dim sum is not enough, but to go to the restaurant to eat, the pocket is more shy. So I bought vegetables for the tea house to process, and the tea house also processed it in the spirit of the old customers, and gradually added small wine. Because it is economical and convenient, the second meat shop has developed in this way.
In Lu Xun's Diary, it is mentioned many times that he invited friends to eat at two meat shops such as "Hutchison" and "Hai Tianchun". In 1918, Lu Xun mentioned in his diary of the twenty-third day of the first month, "Light snow." The second brother came to the ministry and invited Chen Shizeng and Qi Shoushan to go to The Peace To remember dinner. "In Hutchison, Lu Xun's favorite is the large piece of beef noodles in clear soup. He also invited Chen Shizeng and Qi Shoushan to the "Long Hai Xuan" on West Chang'an Avenue to fight tooth sacrifices, where the best dish was soft fried liver tip.
Market segmentation has long appeared in old Beijing. The grades of teahouses vary, as do the guests they adapt to and the food they serve. In addition to the above four kinds of large tea houses of different grades, there are also four kinds of tea houses that are more close to the people, "book, clear, wine, and wild".
"Book Tea House", mainly speaking and commenting on books, the slogan is "open books and do not sell clear tea". Those who sell tea and wine, as well as peanuts and rice and flowering beans, are called "tea taverns". Dedicated to the gathering, exchange, trading and trading of businessmen from all walks of life, it is called "Qing Tea House", which is also the predecessor of the Chamber of Commerce. In the deserted village on the outskirts of the city, it is called "Wild Tea House", which opens in early spring and closes in late autumn. Pu Songling was in his own wild tea house and completed the famous "Liaozhai Zhiyi".
These specialty teahouses are the epitome of life in the city, interpreting the various forms of life. In the old days, what could tea customers do in a tea house besides drinking tea? There are often all kinds of "grandpas" who can play in the teahouse, play with clams, butterflies, birds, cats, etc., all of which will gather in the big tea house, compete with each other, and sell pie.
In Beijing, it's freezing in winter, and you'll see people playing with clams in steaming teahouses. Take the gourd out of your arms and place it on the lid bowl where the tea is brewed, let the heat slowly rise, and the worm will start to chirp when it feels warm. If you can hear the insects of summer in the cold winter, there will be a feeling of warmth that spring returns to the earth in an instant.
There is something even more amazing, playing with butterflies. The player takes the gourd from the placket of the close-fitting garment, carefully holds out the butterfly, let the heat of the tea smoke, and the butterfly immediately spreads its wings and dances, startling the four seats.
Although it is called "Tea House", the business scope of the Qing Dynasty Tea House is not limited to selling tea, it is also a comprehensive catering and entertainment place. As Mr. Lao She said, "The teahouse is a place where three religions and nine streams meet, which can accommodate all kinds of characters, who have the characteristics of the times, in fact, a teahouse is a small society." ”
Teahouse culture is an important part of today's study of Beijing flavor culture. Whether it is to appreciate the drama "Tea House", or to climb over the old paper pile to find fragments of Beijing's history, it is as if you just walk through the hutongs of Beijing, touch the mottled door piers, drink a mouthful of fragrant jasmine tea, listen to the pigeon whistle in spring, and listen to the clams in summer... It can evoke the good memories of Beijingers' childhood leisurely, and the mood will become sunny.
【Perceiving heaven and earth in nature, harvesting surprises in daily life】
Author: Yan Feng
Editor: Huang Jin
Wang Xinyu
Signed: He Yu
Lin Chun
Producer: Wang Xin
Producer: Hong Lin
New Media, Chinese Global Program Center, China Central Radio and Television Corporation
END
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