Although the Republic of China has only existed for a few decades in the long river of history, it has left an unforgettable memory for the older generation, and even left us with many inspirations in the new era.
To this day, people still talk about some things full of Republican flavor after tea and dinner, and rickshaws are one of them.
It was a popular means of transportation in the Shanghai Concession at that time, the main color of the body was yellow, the front seat was cushioned with soft cushions, and the chair was an oval canopy above the chair, which was specially used to shield customers from the wind and rain.
Unlike our 21st century vehicles, all rickshaws are two wheels, and the whole car is pulled by hand rather than started by an engine, so its speed often does not meet people's urgent needs.
In order to be able to attract business, most of the Republic of China car pullers will desperately speed up and sweat at various intersections.
Sadly, no matter how hard these hard-working coachmen work, they almost never live to be 40 years old.
Not only that, but the people who pull the car even year long to get rid of the capital exploitation of the rickshaw company and own a rickshaw that is completely their own.
01. The rickshaw driver in "Shoko the Camel"
An excellent literary work can often reflect the truest portrayal of that era between the lines.
Before discussing in detail the real life of the people who pulled the cart in the Republic of China, we must first get to know the rickshaw driver written by the literary master Lao She.
This person's name is Xiangzi, and he is one of the protagonists in the well-known book "Camel Xiangzi".
The story is set in Beijing in the 1920s, and Xiangzi, who was born in the countryside, chose to leave his hometown and enter the prosperous urban development because he had a beautiful vision for the future and was eager to get ahead.
At that time, people without culture could only choose to work as coolies, shoko read less, and after thinking twice, decided to make money with rickshaws.
He wears a worn-out black hat every day, his eyes are covered with blood, and he wears a pair of shoes full of patches to wander through the middle of the city, unapologetically delivering intimate service to guests who come and go.
He had thought that he could live this life so safely and fully, but it didn't take long for this chaotic world to deprive him of his quiet life.
Less than 6 months after officially entering the rickshaw industry, Shoko's car had been taken away by savage and greedy soldiers.
It coincided with chaotic social order, and many officials had no time to take care of a small rickshaw industry.
Many rickshaw sellers have made the price of rickshaws rise overnight in order to make greater profits, which is undoubtedly worse for Shoko.
He wandered the streets in a decadent manner, his face devoid of any sparkle, letting the breeze blow through his messy, dry hair.
Shoko was not willing to go back so easily, and in desperation, he temporarily rented a rickshaw through the trail method, and in order to be able to pay the rent smoothly, he could only work hard.
But deep down, he hopes to save more money by taking more orders so that he can one day own his own rickshaw again.
But just when all this is about to succeed, the money Shoko uses to buy a car is extorted by some rhetorical scammers.
After experiencing a series of blows, Shoko began to be depressed and depressed, and he did not even want to continue to run diligently in the bustling streets, but chose to sell his lifelong happiness.
At that time, there was a girl named Tiger Girl, who was the daughter of Liu Siye, the owner of the man and the depot, because of her spicy personality, no one around dared to marry, and she became an old girl who was laughed at.
At this moment, she met Shoko, and her heart was spring for him, and she fell in love at first sight, and the tiger girl, who had always been cheerful and neat, chose to accompany him willingly and follow him all day.
Although Xiangzi did not like tiger girls, she was eventually greatly moved by a tempting condition proposed by Liu Siye.
This condition is exactly what Shoko dreamed of, that is, a rickshaw, and in order to get it, Shoko eventually married Tiger Girl as his wife.
I thought that life could be smooth sailing from now on, but what Shoko never expected was that it didn't take long for his wife to die.
In order to arrange a funeral for his wife, he had to cut his own rickshaw, which he regarded as a treasure, and pawn it to others.
The only hope was brutally destroyed, and Shoko never said a word, becoming addicted to gambling and playthings.
He wandered humbly in all corners of the city, his heart empty, completely losing the spirit of the time, he never got up again, and even depressed, did not live past 40 years old.
Through delicate text descriptions, Lao She vividly shows the miserable life of the low-level people in that vicissitudes of time.
But what is really sad is that the fate of those drivers who once lived on rickshaws in the Republic of China era is far more tortuous than that of Shoko.
02, the majority of people with a difficult fate
In 1874, cars were scarce, and it was difficult for non-rich and wealthy people to easily own them, so most ordinary people faced the problem of travel inconvenience.
In order to better meet the needs of the public, some merchants in the Shanghai Concession have imported a number of rickshaws from Japan at high prices, and the profession of pulling rickshaws to carry people has swept the whole Shanghai Beach overnight.
The coachmen, through their own brute force, made the rickshaws unimpeded in the streets, but surprisingly, not all the money they earned in 15 hours a day belonged to them, and they had to hand over part of it to the capitalists who rented them cars.
At the same time, with the widespread acceptance of rickshaws, these capitalists gradually could not contain their greedy instincts.
They deliberately raise the rental cost of rickshaws in order to get more profits.
Such a move has made the cart pullers who work hard all day get paid less and less, and their lives have been even more impoverished since then.
After a long time, most of the rickshaw drivers finally could not control their anger and began to bravely question and resist the decisions of the capitalists.
These people agreed that it was always the coachmen who had been out in the sun and rain for so many years, not the capitalists who comfortably blew fans in the office and had sofas to nap, so it was only natural that the hard-working coachmen should get more dividends.
This revolt lasted for decades, and finally received a response from the concession on this day in 1934.
At that time, in response to the fragmented problems of the rickshaw industry, the leaders of the Shanghai Concession planned to carry out an unprecedented reform, and after round-the-clock discussions, they discussed several major measures.
First, shut down some of the companies that overprofitable from the rickshaw business. Secondly, all drivers who want to be competent in the work of pulling cars must strictly follow the requirements to register to rent rickshaws.
Finally, and much anticipated, is to limit the rental cost of vehicles. Although it is only a few simple measures, it has soothed the hearts of many rickshaw drivers.
Because this measure directly touched the interests of the capitalists and Japanese car dealers, they jointly resisted, and the concession government was forced to give up.
Faced with the chaos in the industry, the coachmen began to be discouraged, and for them, if they continued to rely on such a profession for a living, they would be endlessly exploited by the capitalists.
If you want to get rid of these exploitations and take the money you earn to yourself, the only way out is to buy a rickshaw that is completely your own.
But for the vast majority of people, the most scarce thing is money. They don't have a chance to own a rickshaw without spending money like Shoko.
What is even more sad is that it was not long before this era cruelly dealt them a heavy blow.
In 1935, the French Concession began to limit the number of rickshaw drivers, and carried out a huge layoff operation, which made the coachmen even more depressed and bitter.
They never imagined that eating and wearing warm food would become the most luxurious idea in the Republic of China era.
The ensuing blows made them completely lose confidence in life, and those who had been pulling cars were decadent and did not hesitate to survive by borrowing money.
Most of them have been beaten mercilessly by creditors for many years because they have not paid their debts, coupled with the hidden dangers left by years of running and pulling cars, so that they have not survived to the age of confusion, and they have died of depression.
03, a few people who are desperate to survive
Although the fate of most of the cart pullers is tragic, in the Republic of China period, there are a small number of people who will persevere and persevere even if they are difficult and confused, and the more famous ones are Yan Sen and Gu Zhuxuan.
First of all, we must first understand Yan Sen, who has a well-known nickname, called "rickshaw king".
But what is less known is that before Yan Sen became the King of Che, he was also a descendant of the Manchu Qing royal family's Great Belle Daishan. In other words, if the Qing Dynasty had not yet perished at that time, he would have been a veritable hereditary prince.
Unfortunately, due to fate, everything was flowing, and the Qing Dynasty had exhausted its strength, and he could only change from a high-ranking prince to a commoner in the Republic of China period.
Even if he was used to the days of pampering and pampering, Yan Sen still did not have the temper of any noble brother.
He is very aware of the principle of self-sufficiency and self-sufficiency, and he does not want to live his life like other royal descendants, relying on the gold and silver jewelry left by their ancestors, coveting comfort and doing nothing.
Indeed, man should live vigorously and without fear of this life, so that he will not waste this life.
Yan Sen had been tirelessly searching for the "iron rice bowl" that would allow him to gain a foothold in the vast concession, and it wasn't long before he noticed the profession of rickshaws.
After some deliberation, he officially stepped into the industry, and on this road with an unknown future, he was ridiculed by other royal descendants.
These lofty princes and princes all felt that Yan Sen's behavior was simply self-willed and degraded, and he had lost the face of the qing dynasty royal nobles.
But Yan Sen felt that the feudal period had long ended, there was no distinction between high and low, and there was no need to stubbornly look down on any profession.
In this war-torn era of the Republic of China, only by not being trapped in the heart and not fearing the future can we seek a glimmer of vitality by being down-to-earth.
In this way, Yan Sen relied on his correct values to work in the rickshaw industry for several years.
The so-called three hundred and sixty lines, the line out of the yuan, and Yan Sen is indeed called the champion in the rickshaw industry, and the vast majority of fateful car pullers are different, Yan Sen knows how to make money with wisdom.
In order to stand out among the drivers, Yan Sen specially created a series of promotional points.
He took "This Prince personally pulled a car for the main children" as a slogan to attract guests, which greatly aroused the curiosity of the guests, and even some people rushed to Beijing from other places in a hurry in order to let Wang Ye pull a rickshaw for himself.
Although Yan Sen's business is getting better and better, he does not want to stop there. After all, only by getting rid of the suffering of being subject to others can we truly freely break out of a world of our own.
Yan Sen did not spend money such as land to waste his hard-earned money, but stored them in his home.
He was waiting for an opportunity, a moment when he could fully afford to buy a rickshaw. Only in this way does he not have to be controlled by the company that rents rickshaws day and night to exploit the labor costs.
Emperor Tian did not pay off, and Yan Sen finally waited for this day with his hard-working tenacity.
After owning his own rickshaw, Yan Sen's daily income is 3 times that of the past, and he uses this money to make his mother and wife live a well-fed life.
In addition, Yan Sen has repeatedly exhorted his children: Don't covet the immediate pleasure, and it is true to be down-to-earth.
The times are already like this, only by changing themselves can we control our destiny. It is gratifying that the sons and daughters humbly accepted his earnest teachings, and eventually they all flourished in the Republic of China era like him.
Yes, everyone must understand at a young age that the director who really decides the scene of life is himself.
In addition to winning with wisdom, people must also suffer in this drama, after all, if the suffering is not endless, then the sweetness of the heart and mind will not come.
In addition to Yan Sen, Gu Zhuxuan is also worth mentioning. Unlike Yan Sen, Gu Zhuxuan was born in the countryside from an early age, rather than a high-gate household.
Due to the limited living conditions in the countryside, Gu Zhuxuan has lived a life of frugal food and clothing, hunger and cold since he was a child.
Whenever the harvest was not satisfactory, Gu Zhuxuan could only eat hard-to-swallow brown rice with his parents to survive.
As the saying goes, adversity often creates talent. It is precisely because of such a poor situation that Gu Zhuxuan has been determined to change his fate since he was a child and let his family live a well-fed life with him in the future.
Gu Zhuxuan knows that if he has been staying in the downward direction without any development prospects, then the future is even more hopeless.
After struggling for a while, Gu Zhuxuan decided to go to the city to develop, and coincidentally, he also took a fancy to the profession of rickshaw and decided to make a living from it.
Gu Zhuxuan
But compared with the vast majority of coachmen who died before the age of 40, Gu Zhuxuan had a superhuman courage that they did not have.
He was not content to be at the mercy of the cold-spoken capitalists all his life, nor did he ever try to find a life in the leaders of the concession, he only believed in himself.
He has taken "customer is God" as his motto for many years, and he firmly believes that as long as he serves customers with the most sincere attitude and communicates with customers more, he may be able to gain the appreciation of those rich people one day.
Sure enough, a few days later, a generous customer really funded him a lot of money because he admired Gu Zhuxuan's unusual conversation.
Gu Zhuxuan was wise and foolish, and did not have the luxury of spending all this money, nor did he buy his own rickshaw like Yan Sen, he had greater ambitions.
A few days later, he pieced together the money he had left behind and the silver given by the nobles, and directly bought a rickshaw company.
From a poor rural youth who was poor and destitute to the big boss of the rickshaw company who later pointed out Jiangshan, Gu Zhuxuan's smartest thing was that he seized the opportunity to go straight up.
For Yan Sen and Gu Zhuxuan, a few people who are in a desperate situation, even if the times change unpredictably and the future is dark, this will not become a reason for anyone to be willing to degenerate and stagnate.
No matter how cloudy the sky is, it will also usher in a day of dissipation, and it is not easy to talk about giving up, and things will turn around.
epilogue
In the Republic of China, in order to continue to survive, these coachmen had to rely on brute force to pull the car all day long, and they were exposed to the wind and the sun.
Not only that, but some of the money they earn has to be handed over to the rickshaw company, and there is very little silver money that really goes into their pockets.
It can be said that they are typical representatives of the exploitation of capital in that era. Under the ruthless oppression of capital, the vast majority of people have to work harder to recruit customers and work harder to support their families.
There are also some people who have been living in poverty for a long time, their mood is depressed, they begin to be unenterprising, and they are excessively greedy for comfort and pleasure, so that they are weak and do not live to be 40 years old.
What is somewhat gratifying is that there are also a small number of people like Yan Sen who are still unwilling and dissatisfied with the status quo.
Even if they are born in a chaotic world and their fate is like ants, they still have a bright heart, and even break out of the world with their superior courage and wisdom, not only living a long life and a hundred years old, but also owning their own rickshaws.
Believing in fate was the only way out in that era, and sadly, such people were really pitiful in the Republic of China era.
Today we have entered a new era, but there are still traces of rickshaws in many tourist attractions. Rickshaws carry a special history and culture, helping people to remember history.
Most of these coachmen are local prime-aged people who explain the local culture to passengers and sometimes speak a few words of English.
Unlike the drivers of the past, today's rickshaw drivers are only exercising and will no longer desperately solicit customers, and rickshaws have become a tool to experience history.
Bibliography:
1. CNKI: Stars "Rickshaw Driver"; Charity Issue 05, 2019
2. Taizhou Daily: Liu Shaoxiang, "Rickshaw Driver Lao Zhang: "Selling Charcoal" in Summer"; Taizhou Daily, August 3, 2010
3. CNKI: Sun Ting, "Similarities and Differences between Camel Xiangzi and Migrant Workers and Social Enlightenment"; Taste: Classic 2022.04
4. CNKI: Guo Rui; Shoko the Camel: The Spokesperson for Commoners; Journal of Heilongjiang Teacher Development Institute, No. 4, 2022