This group of pictures was taken between 1931 and 1934, with the streetscape of Peiping and the figures of busy people, through these precious old photos, we can more intuitively understand the real situation of Beiping in the early 1930s.
Five arches of the thirties
The Five ArchEs are located on the side of a Zhengyang Bridge on the moat outside the Zhengyang Gate, and in the old days there was a custom of erecting arches at both ends of the bridge, commonly known as the "Bridge Building". Zhengyang Bridge is located at the northernmost point of the central axis and is the largest of the nine moat bridges in Beijing.
Five arches of the 1940s
In the 40s, the Zhengyang Bridge Arch, compared with the previous picture, will find great changes, the archway has been repaired, the Manchu text on it is missing, the original gas lights have been replaced by electric lights, and two foreign cars are passing by. Many cyclists can be seen in the distance, indicating that bicycles were commonplace on the streets of Beijing at that time. Pedestrians and vehicles on the streets basically follow the principle of leftbound.
Trolleys on the streets of Peiping
Traditional Chinese hand-pushed unicycles have different names in different places, and vary slightly according to the different roads in different places, such as the Chengdu Plain in Sichuan Province, which is called "chicken bus", but the wheels are small. This vehicle has a very long history, because there is only one wheel, the requirements for road conditions are very low, narrow roads, alleys, fields and small bridges are unimpeded.
Etiquette umbrella
In the old days, on the streets of Beijing, such a group of people could often be seen, holding various ceremonial instruments, acting as ceremonial guards in the queue for receiving relatives or funerals, and they had a special name called deacons. The picture shows a deacon walking on the road carrying a away ceremonial umbrella, which is a ceremonial vessel that can often be seen during the red and white celebrations in Beijing, and is well-made and embroidered with exquisite ornaments.
Cigarette stand
At the entrance of the shop, there are eight immortal tables and benches, and behind the table stands an old man selling cigarettes, very rich. He wears blue shoulders and a melon skin hat, and he sells paper cigarettes, but he smokes dry cigarette bags.
Scavenging
A middle-aged woman walked by carrying a wicker basket containing confetti she had picked up. There is a tea shop on the side of the street, with the words "all kinds of tea" on the door, and there are foreign cars parked in front of the tea shop.
Two beggars
The two beggars leaning against the wall, I don't know if they are brothers. The big boy was carrying a tin bucket in his hand, the shoes under his feet were bare toes, and the little boy stood next to him, the so-called pants with only a few strands of rags left, hanging from his waist with hemp rope.
Chongwenmenwai Street
Chongwen Gate is the east gate of the southern wall of the old inner city of Beijing, and the city gate was built in the nineteenth year of Ming Yongle (1421). Originally, the old city gate of the Yuan Capital was called the Civilization Gate. In the fourth year of orthodoxy (1439), the castle tower was added and renamed ChongwenMen, which has the meaning of "advocating Wende". The Chongwen Gate in the picture is preparing to be renovated, and many stones for paving are piled up on the side of the road.
Coachman
Near the synonymous bicycle shop on Chongwenmen Street, there is a long row of foreign cars, and the foreign coachmen sit on the pedals of the car waiting for customers, behind them is a restaurant, the façade is very beautifully decorated, the photographer did not mention the name of the restaurant, but expressed his love for the restaurant, because this is the place he often patronizes.
Mend clothes
Outside the city walls, a man sits on a log sewing clothes and places a sewing basket in front of him. He may be a poor sewer, although we have the impression that the sewing poor are mostly women, and men are rare in this profession.
Little blacksmith
The teenager sat on a simple work bench and was sharpening a knife with a file. He was bare-chested and working very hard. The building behind him was some years old, and the door leaf had exquisite carvings, but unfortunately it was in tatters.
Rich
Three men in robes and coats sat on chairs in a park, their costumes representing the style of the upper class people of the time. The man on the far left is still wearing braids, which is certainly a flag bearer. Interestingly, two of them have silver medals hanging on their chests, much like ah Q's dream of "persimmon oil party silver peach", but the age is not right.
The old man who drank tea
Six old men sat behind a stone platform on the side of the street, smoking cigarette bags and drinking tea. In fact, some people are not old, may only be fifty or sixty years old, but the hardships of life make them age quickly.
Eating for children
The kindergarten (kindergarten) children are eating, one by one, chubby, and their clothes are very clean. At that time, the children who could afford kindergarten were at least from middle-class families.
Mother and son who rush to the city
A mother and son under the city wall, they come from the countryside on the outskirts of the city, the mother carries a small basket on her arm, and the wicker basket on the back contains some home-produced agricultural products, planning to take her son to Beiping City to sell.