In the past, the city wall was a workaround
In the past, it was bustling like a cloud of smoke
The old city is the birthplace of Tianjin culture and the root of Tianjin people, and every Tianjin person has extraordinary feelings for the "old city".
If you want to explore the history of this city, if you want to feel the thickness of this city, if you want to reminisce about the glory of this city, if you want to remember the humiliation of this city, if you want to see the old deep house compound, if you want to miss the fireworks of the city when you were a child. Every inch of land in the old city of Tianjin is the most vivid explanation.
(Image from @lao92000)
Whether the old city of Tianjin is old or new, it uses the unchanged pattern and temperament to affect the feelings and memories of the whole city.
1
There are no walls in the old town
Don't look at the history of Tianjin Jianwei is only more than 600 years, in fact, it is a solid ancient city.
Whether it is the "Three Hui Haikou" of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the "Zhigu Village" of the Jin Dynasty, or the "Haijin Town" of the Yuan Dynasty, Tianjin prospered because of water transportation, and gradually developed into a grain and military powerhouse, which also made the rich merchants from all over the world gather in the old city of Tianjin.
(Image from Old Town)
According to the construction logic of the ancient city, in order to prevent wild beasts from invading the habitation, but also to defend against the enemy's attack and control the population, this wall should not only be built, but also wide and strong enough.
So, why can the ancient city walls in Xi'an and other places become landmarks today, but the walls of Tianjin are missing?
In fact, Tianjin really had a city wall, and we can still see the "shadow" of the city wall.
In the second year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1404), Tianjin set up a wei and built a city, and since then officially opened the history of "Tianjin Wei". At this time, Tianjin already had a city wall, but it was only an earthen wall. From a high altitude, the urban area is rectangular, long from east to west, short from north to south, so Tianjin was also called "Abacus City" at that time.
In the sixth year of Ming Hongzhi (1493), Tianjin rebuilt the city wall, wrapped in bricks and stones outside the earthen wall, and rebuilt the four gate towers, which were nominated as: "Zhendong", "Dingnan", "Anxi", and "Gongbei". Since the North Gate leads directly to the capital, the "Gongbei" is the most spectacular.
Therefore, there is a saying that "first there is dazhigu salt grain bingtun tun, and then there is Tianjin Weigangge Gongbei".
Later, during the Yongzheng period (1725), the flood of the Haihe River caused the city wall to collapse and damage, and the Changlu salt transport made Mang Huli ask the salt merchants An Shangyi and An Qi father and son to donate huge sums of money to rebuild the city of Tianjin.
After the reconstruction, the circumference of the Tianjin city wall is 9.3 miles, the height of the wall is reduced to 2.4 zhang, and the thickness of the base of the widened city wall is 3.2 zhang, which enhances the flood resistance and defense capabilities, in order to honor the father and son of the An family, "Wei An" is written on the Ximen plaque.
See the strength of Tianjin salt merchants, right? Dedicated to the sole proprietorship to build the city wall!
This is the most glorious moment of tianjin city wall, but the city wall at this moment must not have thought that 200 years later, because it is too good, it will affect the life expectancy.
Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Tianjin's military, political, and commercial status has been continuously improved. The stable and vigorous economic environment not only attracted the wealthy merchants, but also moved to Tianjin. At that time, the old city of Tianjin was divided into four equal residential areas by the main road of the cross, namely: the northeast corner, the southeast corner, the northwest corner and the southwest corner, and the cross street intersected at the Drum Tower.
(Images from those precious old photos)
Because of the official institutions such as the East Gate and the North Gate, the Northeast Gate and the Southeast Corner are mostly magnificent courtyard buildings, and the old city has also formed a pattern of "four streets, four small streets, and one hundred lanes with six lanes", which is why before the liberation of Tianjin, the saying that "the north gate is rich, the east gate is expensive, the south gate is cheap, and the west gate is poor" began to circulate.
In 1900, Tianjin was forced to witness a century of humiliation in modern times. The old city wall of Tianjin was once used as a "commanding height" by the Boxers and qing dynasty officers and soldiers, and completed the only battle that severely damaged the Eight-Nation Alliance, but in the end it did not resist the invaders, and since then, the old city wall of Tianjin has become a thorn in their "eyes".
(City Wall, picture from Tianjin Municipal Archives)
After the Eight-Power Coalition captured Tianjin, du tong Yamen proposed: "For military purposes and health reasons, it is decided to report to the commanders of the coalition countries and request that the demolition of the Tianjin city wall be ordered." He also asked His Excellency count Wadesi to add a clause ordering that the construction of the city wall would never be built again in the future when China negotiated with the great powers. ”
As a result, Tianjin became the first city in China to tear down its walls.
Later, Tianjin built four walled roads in the east, south, west and north of the original city wall, and the pattern of tianjin wei old city has hardly changed, and we can also look at the old city wall of Tianjin with humiliation and gone away.
2
The prosperity of the past has become the past
Many people say that the road in Tianjin is not divided into north and south, only left and right, but the old city residential areas surrounded by various official offices are rare and square.
(Ancient City of Tianjin in the Qing Dynasty)
In 1912, the old official offices such as Tianjin Daoyamen, Tianjin Prefectural Office, and Tianjin County Pavilion were demolished and rebuilt into residential buildings.
After several burning and looting in the old city of Tianjin after the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, the "Nonzi Mutiny" and the defeat and retreat of Fengjun, the wealthy merchant families had already had a lingering feeling for this place and fled to the concession to live.
(Image courtesy of Tianjin Municipal Archives)
Since then, the old city has gradually declined, fading away from the glitz, leaving only a string of place names, telling the scenery of the past.
For example, streets and alleys named for their immediate proximity to the Department of Public Security:
The North of the Old Town:
The East Arrow Road of the Provincial Bureau (Governor's Office of the Governor's River Duchayuan), the Prefectural Office Street (Tianjin Fuyamen), the Back Street of the County Office (Tianjin County Yamen), the Town Office Daqiang Hutong (Tianjin Town Commander's Office), the West Street of the Transportation Office (Changlu Salt Transport Envoy Office), etc.
In the northwest corner area: there are the front of the right camp (right camp garrison), after the city guard camp (city guard camp dusi) and so on.
There are also a series of streets and alleys such as Heyingqian Hutong near the northeast corner.
Bow and Arrow Alley
Cap Liu Hutong
3
Banqiao Alley
4
Large gutters
Of course, in the old city, there is not only official spirit, wealth, but also a thick literary atmosphere.
The Temple of Literature, Qingjin Academy, Huiwen Academy, Zhongying Primary School, etc. have trained a large number of talents for Tianjin, and educators such as Yan Xiu, Zhang Boling, Lin Moqing, and Liu Baoci have left footprints in the old city.
In fact, the nobility in the old city is not arrogant, blacksmith hutong, yandian hutong, dashuigou, shiqiao hutong, Banqiao hutong, Jiudaowan hutong, Zhang Zhiyao hutong, Lifufang hutong, etc., these ordinary words constitute the foundation of the old city, but also show the equal and inclusive temperament of the old city.
Because of this, the old city was not completely destroyed by the demolition of the official office and the relocation of rich merchants. After reading thousands of sails and tasting all the honors and humiliations, the old city returned to a calm and plain, but still kept a decent rule.
For example, the hawkers in the old city are different from other places, and even in the summer heat, few people are bare-chested and shouting. Because they know that there may be a family member of the official living nearby, or a lady in the courtyard of the deep house, if they meet, it is inevitable that it will be indecent.
The hawkers consciously behave decently, which is to give the guests face, then the guests will naturally take more care of the hawker business and tip generously.
Ms. Tianjin loves to buy balan flowers and tuberose, which are not only beautiful, but also have a long fragrance, which is a natural long-lasting "perfume".
In the old days, there were no "flower girls" in Tianjin, and the people who sold flowers were middle-aged men. They carefully placed the flowers in the suitcase and walked the streets shouting, "Barlan flowers... Tuberose", whispering slowly, three times a word, shouting elegantly and nicely, and then placing the box in the open space nearby, the ladies can come out and choose on their own.
And the big house door to buy flowers does not have to go through the hawkers. Every three to five, there will be a special flower delivery woman to send flowers into the courtyard for people to choose, and then "calculate the general ledger" after a period of time.
In the old days, the vendors who drove the cattle cart to sell cabbage were also very exquisite, and the cabbage in winter would never be frostbitten before it was sold, and when it was sold, it would cut down the vegetable gang in front of the guests and then weigh it, and the trading rules were benevolent.
The artists who perform in the old city are also disciplined, have great ability, and also work hard. People who watch performances in the old city also have rules, and almost no one is "white prostitute". The artists earned hard money, huffing and breathing with plates in front of you, and you turned your head and left, which was a very despised behavior of the old city people.
Old and new in the old town
After the founding of New China, Tianjin took on a new look, and the "old city" became a small part of Tianjin. The large mansion doors in the old city have gradually disappeared, some have been converted into factories or offices, and more have been converted into large courtyards for more people to live.
With the gradual expansion of the population, everyone had to rebuild the house again, some people built a small attic, some people built a kitchen in the courtyard, many large mansions were completely changed, and the old city was once again lively.
Before 1949, it was very difficult for people in the old city to draft water, and the water shop specially sent water and sold the water basket at a very high price. After liberation, the courtyard was finally equipped with running water.
The aunt who collects the water bill collects money from house to house, and the whole hospital shares a water meter, no matter how much is used, it is evenly distributed according to the number of people. But it's also much cheaper than buying water at a water shop, and the neighborhood is so close that no one complains about unfairness.
(Image from @Tianjin a happy tumbler)
In the old city, the problem of everyone eating is the Guanyin No. 1 Vegetable Market, which has gathered dozens of stalls in the late Qing Dynasty, with vegetables, meat, eggs and poultry, seafood and aquatic products and other shops. Anything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, swims in the water, and jumps in the grass can be bought here, until it was demolished in 2003, which is the most famous vegetable market in Tianjin.
(Image from @Tianjin Old Town Network)
In addition to the official silver number market, Wuhe Department Store also has lingering memories of old city people. This mall has three floors, the first floor and the second floor sell things, what clock glasses screw caps, clothing shoes hat cotton pants cover, gold and silver jewelry electrical and electrical materials, a complete range of not expensive.
Originally, famous stores such as "Tongshenghe Shoe and Hat Shop", "Lerentang Pharmacy" and "Siyuanxiang Pastry Shop" were all opened separately next to the mall, and seeing that the daily traffic of the mall was tens of thousands, it was merged into the Wuhe Department Store.
The old city was widened in 1992 and the dangerous bungalow renovation in 1994, and in 2003 the old town was demolished and transformed as a whole.
Historical past, old city stories, folk anecdotes can only be told, and it is difficult to experience, and because of this, people will always recall the fireworks and human touch in the courtyard.
I remember that at that time, lighting a stove was a particularly proud skill. Whoever smokes for half a day and does not produce flames, he will get a kind ridicule, but the ridicule will be ridiculed, and people will definitely help you make the fire well.
(Image from @介似 Tianjin Wei, photo by @Agatrazo)
In the winter, the stove is warmed in the house, and in the summer, the stove is moved to the courtyard to cook. When it was time for dinner, the whole hospital sat at a small table in the crowded courtyard, polite to each other, chatting, chilling, and eating together.
Although the family is not rich, the life is leisurely and comfortable; since the family is not rich, there is naturally no anxiety.
At that time, when it rained, every household became a "triple jumping pit". Before the rainy season, there will be neighbors reminding each other to make the bed up, and after the rain, there are always enthusiastic people who lay a few bricks in the yard to facilitate walking.
This pad brick is not a small action that "pad brick", ah, our old city people have always been open.
The men in every household were all-rounders, and he might not care about the children, but he had to build a briquette pool; he might not be able to cook, but he had to carry cabbage; he might have a good night (four sounds) and play cards with friends, but he could also help the neighbors chop wood.
In the morning, everyone queues up together in the public toilet, and in the evening, they wash and shabu together in front of the water pipe.
Some people themselves wonder why they often want to go back to the past when life in the big courtyard in the old city is obviously dirty and messy?
Probably the neighbor Grandma Wang cooking is too fragrant, the next door Uncle Zhao told too funny stories, the small friends in the yard played well enough, these human fireworks city style, gradually covered up the smell and dust.
Memory is always so magical, it will try to make a good memory for you, but also remind everyone that you don't have to pay too much attention to the flaws in life.
In 2003, with the demolition of the last dangerous bungalow, Tianjin Old Town finally completed its mission of more than 600 years. Except for the Temple of Literature, Guangdong Guild Hall, Old Town Museum and other buildings, the rest were basically demolished.
Today, the new "Old City" retains the overall structure and texture of the previous one, continuing the charm and humanistic temperament of the old city, where the East and the West, tradition and modernity blend and collide, giving birth to a more attractive gufeng and wei rhyme.
It is surrounded by East Road, West Road, South Road and North Road, surrounded by subways, there are dozens of bus lines running through it, and the huge high-rise community system not only accommodates the relocation of "Tianjin natives", but also attracts "new Tianjin people" from all over the world.
Feng Jicai once said: As the cradle of Tianjin, the old city box contains rich folk customs and cultural and artistic essences, which can be called the "living fossil" of Tianjin city.
Perhaps many young people have not seen the old city with their own eyes, but the reinforced concrete cannot hide the unique thickness of the old city, even if you were not born in the old city, it does not hinder your feelings for it, because the old city is the soul and root of the city of Tianjin.
If you miss it, you may wish to accompany the old man at home to visit the Old City Museum, "Tianjin Old City" is in every inch of brick and tile gap, in the rhyme of every antiquity, in the old man's nagging narration, but also in the blood of every Tianjin person.
References: "Tianjin Wei", Northern Network