Night market is a special economic form of ancient Chinese society, which originated in the Han Dynasty, slowly formed and developed in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang dynasties, and achieved rapid development and prosperity in the Song Dynasty. In fact, the development of the night market in the Song Dynasty has also undergone a long evolutionary process.
Adjustments to the night market
Since the birth of the night market, it has grown tenaciously in the gap between the fang market system and the night ban system. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the night ban has been strict, and the closed market system in the early Tang Dynasty has reached its peak, which has seriously inhibited the formation and development of night markets.
Although the two systems have become more and more relaxed since the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the night market before the Song Dynasty has always been an illegal identity rationalization, in the face of the strong offensive of demand and interests, although the government's ban can not completely resist the occurrence of street invasion and night invasion, but to a large extent inhibit the growth of the night market, the development of the night market is slow and has not formed a scale and climate.
To the Song Dynasty, in the third year of Taizu Qiande (965 AD), the edict of Kaifeng Mansion on April 13: "The night market in the capital has come to the three drums, and it must not be banned." The curfew time of the two dynasties before and after the Song Dynasty generally started from a drum (one change). The Song government ordered a shortened curfew and reduced the scope of the curfew.
In the third year of Shaoxing (1133 A.D.), "Lu Zhiyuan, who knew Lin'anfu, said: 'The chariot is stationed in Lin'anfu, and the soldiers are numerous, and the residents are huge. 'From it'. The night curfew in Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty lasted from three to five drums, and during the curfew, the patrol police and residents carried out joint patrols.
In other words, the night market allowed by the Song government to operate from one to three watches, and in the later period, it was allowed to operate overnight. Since then, urban residents have been able to move freely at night, and the trading of goods and services at night has changed from illegal to legal, and night markets have finally had a legal status, and justifiably developed rapidly.
The Song Dynasty's intervention in the night market during holidays
Festivals are the catalyst for nightlife and night markets, and most of the festivals, festivals, trade, entertainment, and leisure continue into the night. Under the policy of enjoying with the people, the Song government vigorously guided the folk customs and customs, and the role and influence of creating new festivals, maintaining and transforming traditional festival customs, and stipulating the holiday atmosphere can also be extended to night markets to a certain extent.
In the sixth year of Taizong's Taiping rejuvenation (981 AD), "the edict should be as good as the Shangyuan Festival from now on, and give three days off, written in the order." At the same time, the imperial court also ordered to increase leisure time, New Year's Day, Lantern Festival, and Winter Solstice Festival; The time of exemption is three days per session.
The government of the Song Dynasty would give free housing money during the festival, on the one hand, there was a factor and purpose for the government to create a relaxed and peaceful festive atmosphere and stimulate holiday consumption, and on the other hand, it was a temporary solution to the social problem of high housing rents in Lin'an and heavy burdens on most tenants. It can be seen that the Southern Song Dynasty government has a strong sense of holiday economy.
The holiday policy and holiday economy have a great effect on the night market, and one of the most critical is the concession of the trade. Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, issued a notice to allow Shishu to "close for three days" during the three major festivals of New Year's Day, cold food, and winter solstice.
Guan Pu is a kind of gambling activity that uses copper coins as gambling equipment. Because it integrates gambling, trading, and game entertainment, it was very popular in the Song Dynasty Shijing society, and it was usually forbidden by the government and licensed for the three major festivals.
During the three major festivals, Bianjing Mahang Street, Pan Lou, outside the Song Gate of the East Song Dynasty, outside the West Liang Gate of the State, outside the Fengqiu Gate in the north of the state, and in the south of the state, the color shed of Guan Pu is connected into a piece, and the crown comb, Zhucui, head and face, clothes, flowers, collar wipe, boots and shoes, play well and other things. At night, "the women of the noble family, indulge in gambling, and enter to watch".
In addition, there are Lantern Festivals, such as "Xuande Gate, the Yuan Night is illuminated, the terrace is also placed under the door, and the south reaches the Baoqi Palace, and the two sides are closed for trading". From March 1 to April 8, the Jinming Pond was opened, in the early years of Song Shenzong Yuanfeng, "every time a pond is opened, the day Xu Shishu pounces on it, and the visitors are prosperous since then."
The trade in goods and the art of shutting down attract a large number of tourists. By the Southern Song Dynasty, Guan Pu had gone beyond the festival limits and gradually developed into a common trading method, which could be seen everywhere in the market at any time. There is no restriction on what can be sold, not only daily necessities, but also singers, dancers, carriages and horses, land, houses, etc.
The West Lake, a tourist attraction in Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, began to accept tourists on the eighth day of the first month of February, and until the Qingming Festival, the government held a dragon boat race, which attracted "tourists from the lakes and mountains, until the twilight".
In addition, the government also made it clear that "there is no prohibition on all pleasures, watches, and trades", so for a while, all kinds of daily goods, food, and suspected to create more nightlife opportunities for public officials. Whenever the Jinming Pond is opened, the Yushitai posts a yellow list at the Yiqiu Gate: "On March 1, the three provinces played the holy decree together, opened the Jinmingchi, Xu Shishu paraded, and the Yushitai was not allowed to play. ”
It can be seen that during the period of "opening the pond," the government adopted measures to encourage and solicit citizens to visit and watch, and officials were allowed to visit and feast. Official rental money. Due to the high cost of rents in the capital, rent reduction and exemption became one of the measures of grace of the Song court during important or critical periods.
At that time, Lin'an stipulated that the festivals that exempted the rent of the house mainly included meta-entertainment, performances by entertainers, etc., which were presented one after another. When it comes to the Mid-Autumn Festival, "the store is operating, radiating on the lake, and it is open to catch up". "More than ten miles up and down the river, Zhucui Luo is overflowing, the cars and horses are congested, the food and drink are all times the dome, and the people are renting to watch the curtain, although the ground is not allowed to be idle."
The government not only organizes water warfare drills, but also organizes bid competitions, water swings, and hundreds of opera performances for visitors to watch. Most of the local government officials in Sichuan and Shu regard indulgence and tourism as a policy to appease the people, and the support and active actions of the local government are important prerequisites for the prosperity of large-scale commercial and recreational activities such as Chengdu Pharmaceutical Market, Silkworm Market, Flower Market, and River Tour.
bibliography
[1] (Song) Hong Shi: "Panzhou Anthology", vol. 49, "Jingmen Ying Zhao Plays the Four Matters of Compassion", the first edition of the four series.
[2] Wu Xiaoliang, "A Study on the Change of the National Market Management Model in the Tang and Song Dynasties——— A Historical Investigation of the "City" in the Tang Dynasty and the "Taxation" in the Song Dynasty", China Economic History Research, No. 4, 2007, p. 117.
[3] "Song Hui Yao Manuscript" official 27-2 record "Shenzong Zhengshi Official Chronicles".
【4】 ( Song) Zhu Xi: 《Zhu Zi Zenshu 晦庵先生朱文公文集 别集》卷九《晓示乡民物货减饶市税》, Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Book Publishing House, Shanghai: Anhui Education Publishing House, 2002 edition.