Look at how people spent the Spring Festival in the Republic of China.

See how the Republic of China celebrates the Spring Festival.

A-A+20 15 February 12 07:08 East. Com review

Looking at the upsurge of Spring Festival travel rush in the Republic of China from Bing Xin's home

1929 12 14 On November 14th of the lunar calendar, there is still more than one month before the Spring Festival, and Bing Xin will go home from Beijing for the Spring Festival.

Why did Bing Xin go back so early? There are three reasons:

First, I received a telegram from my father, learned that my mother was seriously ill, and was anxious to go back and take care of her sick mother.

Second, the Kuomintang was in power at that time. After the Beiyang government, the National Government began to abolish the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival. The annual leave is only given on New Year's Day, and she has to go to work as usual on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Give her two days off symbolically at most. Bing Xin can't wait for New Year's Eve if she wants to spend a reunion year with her parents.

Third, the traffic in the Republic of China was backward, and a lot of time was spent on the road. Only by starting early can we arrive in time.

As for how backward the traffic was during the Republic of China, it depends on how Xin spent his trip.

You know, Bing Xin's ancestral home is in Fujian, but her family is not in Fujian, but has settled in Shanghai. Bing Xin's father, Xie, has retired from the position of undersecretary of the Admiralty and rented a small building in the French Concession in Shanghai to live with his wife, children and grandchildren and servants.

It's not far from Beijing to Shanghai. If you fly, it will take two hours at most. Even by train, it won't take long. However, China Airlines started too late, and ordinary people could not travel by plane until after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, so Bing Xin had to take the train. The problem is that in the winter of 1929, there was a war between Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army and Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army. The Jin-Pu Railway, which must pass from Beijing to Shanghai, was temporarily occupied by the army. Passengers have to go by sea: first take the Beijing-Tianjin train to Tianjin, then from Tianjin to Pudong, then take the ferry across the Huangpu River, then take the trolley bus to Shanghai, and finally hire a rickshaw to go home.

12 14 In the early morning, Bing Xin called the travel agency and asked to buy a ferry ticket from Tianjin to Shanghai on her behalf. She was told that there were many people returning to Shanghai for the Spring Festival these days, and the shipping space was sold out, so she had to wait until 19 at the earliest, and it was the worst fourth class. Bing Xin said categorically, "I will go anyway, even if it is a pigsty or a kennel, as long as it can let me cross the sea!" " "In this way, I booked a ticket for 19. Then she went to the railway station and bought a train ticket to Tianjin.

Bing Xin got on the bus at 4: 50 pm on February 18 and arrived in Tianjin at 7 pm. The journey took more than two hours. After leaving Tianjin Railway Station, Bing Xin took a bus to national hotel, Tianjin to check in and rest, waiting for the next day.

At 2: 30 p.m. on February/65438 19, Bing Xin boarded the ship Shuntian in Tianjin, but it didn't start slowly until that night 10:00. There are many passengers on board, and every cabin is crowded with people. Bing Xin's cabin is only five or six square meters in size, but there are four bunks on the upper and lower floors. In addition to Bing Xin, every passenger in the berth is carrying children, and the noise is mixed with the smell of oil, dirt and smoke, which makes Bing Xin unable to rest.

The "Shuntian" sailed out of Tanggu, and it was very stormy. As the daughter of the vice minister, Bing Xin is used to the wind and waves and never gets seasick, but other passengers vomit, so that Bing Xin can't even hear the sound of the waves, only hear people vomit. Every time we eat, the waiter shouts "Let's eat" one after another. She has no appetite, doesn't drink or eat, and just wants to sleep, because she is quiet when she falls asleep.

65438+At 6 pm on February 22nd, the ship finally docked in Pudong, Shanghai, with a voyage of 68 hours. If you count the time for Bing Xin to wait for the boat in Tianjin and the ticket in Beijing, it will take nine days to return to Shanghai from Beijing! You can imagine how difficult it was to go home for the New Year during the Republic of China.

If Bing Xin chose 1924 instead of going home for the Spring Festival on 1929, her journey would be much easier. 1924, although there is no direct train between Beijing and Shanghai, you can change trains, and Bing Xin doesn't have to go by sea. For example, she took the express train from Beijing East Railway Station at 9: 00 in the morning, arrived in Suzhou at 8: 00 the next night, then changed to "Shanghai-Nanjing Express" in Suzhou, and arrived at Shanghai North Railway Station at 10:00 that night, which only took 57 hours.

However, we should pay attention to one thing: Bing Xin must be able to ensure that she can buy tickets for the express train, because every New Year's Day approaches, the express train is always in short supply, and she needs connections to get tickets through the back door. If Bing Xin can't buy such a ticket, she can only take the ordinary train back to Shanghai.

What's it like to go home for the Spring Festival by ordinary train? Please allow me to quote a passage from Cheng, a writer of the Republic of China:

Crowded! Crowded! The third class became five floors!

The passengers on the top floor are mostly soldiers, sitting on the top of the car;

Secondly, the shelves on both sides are high, and the shelves for luggage and sundries are placed;

Secondly, the chair leans on the backrest of the third-class workshop;

Secondly, on the chair;

Ground floor, sitting on the floor.

Because of the crowd, I took off the garter on my left foot and made a golden rooster. I raised my left foot, put on my garter, and then stepped on it, but I lost my original foothold. It turns out that the territory of my left foot has been occupied by others. It's someone else's instep standing there; Stepping here is someone else's instep. I regret that my parents gave me an extra foot, which made me lose my foothold. ...

How do people in the Republic of China celebrate the New Year?

People who are also in the Republic of China have very different rules for New Year greetings.

The first is the time difference: most public officials pay New Year's greetings in the "national calendar year", that is, on the first day of New Year's Day. For example, when Lu Xun worked in the Ministry of Education, colleagues in their unit all paid New Year's greetings to each other on the first day of the New Year. /kloc-On October 4th, when the "annual leave" ended, they went to work for a "New Year's Tea Party", which is equivalent to the current "group worship". Flat-headed people are more conservative, and they usually pay New Year greetings during the Spring Festival.

Secondly, regional differences: the atmosphere in the north is uncivilized. Men pay New Year's greetings first, and women pay New Year's greetings later. Especially in the early years of the Republic of China, from the first day of the first month to the fifth day of the first month, almost all men wearing robes and jackets bowed in the street to congratulate themselves on making a fortune. After the fifth day, they can only see women taking to the streets and visiting seven aunts to pay New Year greetings. In the south, before fashion, women must stand by and pay homage to their ancestors, and they can keep pace with men when they celebrate the New Year.

In addition, there are differences in New Year greetings. The traditional way of greeting the New Year is to bow and kowtow, with peers bowing and the younger generation kowtowing to their elders. Of course, the elders should also give the younger generation lucky money. The new way to pay a New Year call is to send a business card: leave your business card under someone else's door, or give it to their servant without even saying hello, which is equivalent to paying a New Year call.

However, you can't just take your business card to pay New Year's greetings, because the business card for New Year's greetings is very particular-it must be "hung red". What is "hanging red"? In other words, it must be in black and white, or in scarlet letter. In short, business cards must be red, which means celebrating. In addition to "hanging red", it is best to bring "oral color" on business cards, such as "Congratulations on the New Year" and "Congratulations on the New Year". When it comes to New Year's greetings, the elites of the Republic of China often customize a number of business cards that are both "red" and "bright". These business cards are not used on weekdays, but are specially designed for New Year greetings.

People in the Republic of China use business cards to celebrate the New Year, which is a bit like modern people sending blessing messages on their mobile phones. Simple, fast, economical and worry-free. But it's not labor-saving, because you have to run to people's doors and deliver them door to door, just like a postman. Some people do not go out by themselves. After printing the business cards, they make a list and give it to the servant, who will send it door to door according to the address on the list. At that time, it was called "flying film", that is, sitting at home with business cards flying all over the sky. All you have to do is say goodbye to everyone in the New Year.

Obviously, "flying film" is the laziest and most sincere way to pay New Year greetings. I think this way of paying New Year's greetings is very similar to the short messages sent by modern people.

Why did Lu Xun and Lao She have a holiday on New Year's Day and go to work during the Spring Festival?

There are two calendars in modern China: lunar calendar and solar calendar. In daily life, these two calendars go hand in hand, so we have two early days and two old years every year. We call the beginning of the lunar calendar Spring Festival and the beginning of the solar calendar New Year's Day. The Spring Festival is the Lunar New Year, and the New Year's Day is the Gregorian New Year. We have to spend two New Year holidays, but formally, the solar New Year is far less grand than the Lunar New Year.

Do people in the Republic of China also have two calendars and two New Years?

Let's open Lu Xun's diary.

1 917 65438+1October1,that is, on New Year's Day, Lu Xun wrote "vacation" in his diary.

1917 65438+10.2, the day after New Year's Day, Lu Xun wrote "Holiday" in his diary.

1917 65438+1October 3rd, still a "holiday".

On June 4, 65438, Lu Xun began to work.

That is to say, on New Year's Day of 19 17, Lu Xun's company had a three-day holiday, and the holiday time ranged from 1 to 1.

But by the Spring Festival of that year1October 23rd 19 17 65438+, Lu Xun was working in his unit, and so were his colleagues. After that, I went to work as usual on June 24th,1October 25th and1October 26th, and there was no sign of a holiday.

It can be seen that in 19 17, in Lu Xun's work unit, there was a holiday on New Year's Day, but there was no holiday during the Spring Festival.

Not only in 19 17, but in retrospect, from 19 16 to 19 13. Every year on New Year's Day, Lu Xun has three days off and goes to work as usual during the Spring Festival.

Lu Xun's work unit at that time was the Ministry of Education. This is not the characteristic of the Ministry of Education, but the common practice of all administrative institutions, including schools.

Mr Lao She wrote an article "My Mother", recalling that when he was young, he was the principal of "Beijing Shi Jing Public Seventeenth Higher Primary School". By the end of the lunar calendar, the school will have classes as usual, and he will not be allowed to go home to worship his ancestors on New Year's Eve, and he will not be allowed to go home to pay New Year's greetings on New Year's Day. Lao She was afraid that her mother would be lonely at home alone, so she specially took two hours off and went home to visit her. Mother was very happy and thought that her son would spend the New Year at home, but Lao She said that she would go back to school soon. The mother was surprised and said with a sigh, "Let's go, son!" " "Lao she is very sad. On the way to school, he saw that the street was so busy and remembered that his mother was so deserted at home. Tears blurred his eyes.

Lao She is the headmaster. He wants to spend the New Year at home with his mother. Isn't it ok to announce the school holiday? Really not good. First, the annual leave of the school has been spared during the New Year's Day; The second is to force the Beiyang government not to have a holiday during the Spring Festival. Even the Ministry of Education dare not take a holiday. If Laoshe Primary School dares to "go against the sky", then he is the principal.

Why is there no holiday during the Spring Festival of the Republic of China?

Why can we have a holiday on New Year's Day and not during the Spring Festival? Because after the founding of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen issued "The Temporary President changed the calendar to electricity", demanding that the lunar calendar be abolished and the solar calendar be used instead. Later, Yuan Shikai took office as president, and issued an order through the Ministry of the Interior, requiring Chinese people to completely sever relations with the lunar calendar from 19 13, and all traditional festivals that follow the lunar calendar, such as Dragon Boat Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Lantern Festival, Spring Festival and Chinese Valentine's Day, will be changed to the solar calendar.

For example, on New Year's Eve, it was originally the 29th or 30th day of the twelfth lunar month (depending on the size of the month), and now it will be changed to 65438+February 3rd1in the Gregorian calendar. Another example is the Spring Festival, which used to be the first day of the first lunar month. Now it will be changed to 1+0 in the solar calendar. In this way, the traditional "old New Year" was forced to cancel, leaving only "New Year's Day", so the New Year can only be celebrated on the first day of the New Year, and the annual leave can only be released on the first day of the New Year. On the real Spring Festival, we will work as usual.

The Yuan government did not simply issue orders, but actually sent commissioners to supervise institutions and schools, and found out which units did not take annual leave on New Year's Day and punished them. If you find out which unit dares to take annual leave during the Spring Festival, you will also be punished. Therefore, in the years before the Republic of China, people who ate financial meals like Lu Xun and Lao She all celebrated New Year's Day and never had a real Spring Festival.

As for the people who don't eat financial meals, they should also be supervised. At first, citizens were afraid of colliding with guns and didn't dare to celebrate the Spring Festival. For example, on the first day of the first month of 19 13, firecrackers were almost unheard of in Beijing-it means that you are still celebrating the Lunar New Year, which means that you are doing the right thing with the new government. What if you are arrested?

"Old New Year" defeated "New Year"

However, the power of custom is very powerful. Chinese New Year is celebrated at the end of the twelfth lunar month and on the first day of the first month, which is a rule handed down from the older generation. It has been going on for generations. Can a government ban completely change it? Besides, China is so big and there are so many places. Coupled with the fragmented warlord regime, with the authority and administrative efficiency of the Beiyang government at that time, it was impossible to abolish the "Old Calendar New Year" in all parts of the country.

Let's look at Wu Yu's diary. He was once as famous as Lu Xun in Sichuan. On June/KOOC-0/9/KOOC-0/5, 65438+/KOOC-0/0/day, Wu Yu got up early and said, "Hang the national flag and fly New Year greetings." This is in response to the call of the Beiyang government to change the Spring Festival to New Year's Day. However, on February 13 of this year, that is, Lunar New Year's Eve, Wu Yu "spent the year with Xiangzu, Changqian and other women" and had a reunion dinner with his wives and daughters, indicating that he still regarded Lunar New Year's Eve as the end of the year. The firecrackers in the city never stopped that night, and the next day was New Year's Day. Wu Yu's "New Year greetings with Mrs. Shao Jingtai" (Wu Yu Diary, Volume I, Sichuan People's Publishing House, 1984) shows that he has passed both the "New Year" and the "Old Year". The new government does not allow Lunar New Year's Eve or Lunar New Year, and Wu Yu does not obey. This is because he spent a year in Chengdu, which was in a semi-independent state at that time, and was not afraid of being punished by the Beiyang government.

By 19 18, probably even the Beiyang government felt that it was not feasible to forcibly cancel the "old New Year" and began to comply with public opinion and allow the Spring Festival holiday.

Look at Lu Xun's diary again. In 2008, the days of 1 9 12, 3, and the days of 1 1, 1 2, 13 in February were all called "holidays"./kloc

From the founding of the Republic of China to the fall of Beiyang government and the establishment of Nanjing National Government, the "New Year" repeatedly advocated by the government has always been indifferent. Only government agencies, schools and some new students will pay New Year's greetings, eat jiaozi and hold a "New Year's Tea Party" during New Year's Day. However, the "time-honored new year's goods", which was repeatedly banned by the government and later banned, quickly recovered its former glory. On New Year's Eve and the Spring Festival, firecrackers exploded all over the country. This shows that the "old new year" has defeated the "new year", or that folk customs have defeated government decrees.