What "boring" jobs did Beijingers have during the Republic of China?

Since ancient times, the main road to Beijing has inevitably led to economic prosperity and many employment opportunities. So enterprising people will go to this place to find employment opportunities. In the past, in the vast city of Beijing, there were not only glamorous jobs, but also a job that everyone looked down upon-dung workers. Do you know any unknown truth about this profession? Bian Xiao is here to reveal the secret for you.

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The so-called "dung man" is simply a person who cleans up dung. They often shuttle through the residential areas in the streets and lanes, wearing baskets that can hold feces, just to get the feces in the residents' toilets. In times of economic backwardness, many people will fight for a little shit. After all, several dung trucks want to rob this family of dung, but there will be competition. Therefore, during the Kangxi period, dung people discussed an unwritten rule-dividing the boundaries. For example, if this road is his and the next road is yours, then the separation and combination will also produce a "dung road". However, this dung road is not attributed to the dung workers who work every day, but to the dung merchants. These leading dung merchants will order dung workers to work for themselves and pay some benefits. Over time, "dung man" has become a profession.

Some readers may have questions: "Can this excrement be collected from house to house? Why doesn't the householder clean up? " In fact, the reason is very simple, because at that time, although the productivity was low, the management between cities should still be observed, and there should be no filth such as feces between streets. So the feces need to be cleaned up in a unified way. When farmers cultivate the land, they like to fertilize it with manure so that more food can grow on fertile land. Therefore, these excrement also have a better place to go, that is, to sell to farmers. It's a pity that a family's excrement can't sell for a few dollars, so it's basically a joke to let the city people take the initiative to find farmers to sell it. In this way, the "dung people" who take the initiative to clean up their feces and get paid came into being.

After all, dung workers collect all the dung together and sell it by dung dealers, and the profits generated are still considerable. After it is profitable, these leaders who hire dung workers, that is, "dung merchants", will also take the initiative to set up dung pits in the streets, that is, toilets. It is convenient for residents to go to the toilet, and it is also convenient for dung workers to collect dung, carry it and sell it. According to records, most of these dung merchants were handed down from generation to generation, and even developed into capitalists and landlords during the Republic of China. For example, there is another famous figure in the dung business-Yu Deshun. He transported dung by dung workers, and then concentrated on selling dung to make a fortune. His family is rich in property, and there are many properties in Fuchengmen, Jingxi paddy field and Nanyuan dry land ... all these are the money he earned by exploiting poor dung workers.

Why exploitation? This is because when the dung beetle industry was born, dung traders would not pay dung beetles, but would give them two meals a day. Although the pay is low, you can still save lives when there is not enough food in famine. Therefore, the main reward of dung people is the tip given by the majority of householders. After all, dung people come to dig dung diligently every day to help many people understand the filth, and these residents should also mean this on holidays. Unfortunately, this unwritten rule intensifies the contradiction between dung workers and residents, because many families think: "dung can be sold, why should we tip?" This money is obviously earned by dung traders, and dung workers are the two exploited people. Therefore, the contradictions between the two sides have intensified. What's more, the dung people's equipment is simple, and the dung water is DC, which is really annoying.

With the development of history, dung workers' tools for carrying dung have also changed from "Vitex basket" to cart. Although it's a lot easier, it's a pity that there is no lid on the basket. When you walk away, the filth really stinks.

After the establishment of local departments, relevant measures have been taken. For example, in the year of the Republic of China, the relevant departments planned to issue uniforms to the drivers of dung trucks in the city and persuade them to stick dung trucks and dung buckets. It's a pity that there are many dung trucks, so I'm used to the old way of working and won't abide by it. This plan is invalid. From the establishment of 1928 Health Bureau to 1933, the Health Bureau has also issued various requirements for dung people, but for various reasons, such as improper rules, dung people refused to listen, and all failed. It was not until the founding of New China that the problem of feces management was solved under the overall planning of the whole people.