Let's talk about the basic necessities of life in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s.

In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a fashion in Shanghai. Dresses were brought to China by some overseas students, literary and intellectual circles in the 1920s. In 1930s, more and more people wore dresses, which became a popular fashion in Shanghai. Pull the rickshaw of Miss Cheongsam, walk through the hall and walk through the alley, and you can find the voice of "sugar gourd". It feels delicious now.

In Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s, soda, ice cream, sour plum soup and modern shaved ice appeared in summer catering. Some old Shanghai who have dealt with foreigners can also make some drinks at home. For example, in old Shanghai, soda was made like this: a clean glass bottle was filled with water, then cooled, and some baking soda, citric acid and a little saccharin were added. A well-off family. You can add some sherbet, it will taste better. Plug the cork as soon as you put it away, and the soda will be fine. People with financial difficulties boil a pot of boiling water, put some sugar in it, and buy some broken ice cubes to make iced tea drinks.

In the hot summer, attractive advertisements such as Coca-Cola and Dutch soda stand in front of cold drinks shops, which makes people salivate. Through the window, you can see a modern young lady with a straw in her mouth, bubbles jumping in a tall glass, or slowly scooping ice cream with a small spoon. It's a living advertisement, full of amorous feelings. Cold drinks shops generally have electric fans and even air conditioners. When "white-collar" Shanghainese pass by a cold drink shop after work, they often go in for a shaved ice, ice cream or soda, which is cool and pleasant, and then go home. On Sunday, they will come here with 35 friends. Therefore, the business of the ice shop is always booming in summer, and the lady who moves the door has no chance to rest at all. The waiter in white is as busy as a bee.

There is also a food stall-style ice drinking place, with a white flag and a big word "ice" next to it. Even if it is a signboard, it is simple and eye-catching. Several round wooden barrels are painted with red words of sour plum soup produced in Beijing or Tianjin, indicating the price. Some ordinary tables are covered with a white cloth. Cups of different colors are neatly placed on the basin. Everything is not modern. These street ice drinking places are also very modern. There are also fresh oranges and shaved ice for sale, and a straw is inserted obliquely in the cup. Long-sleeved customers and short-sleeved customers can enjoy their drinks in a cheap and modern way by paying a few copper coins. This kind of street ice drinking place is often full of customers, and the business is no worse than that of cold drinks shops.

Drinks such as sour plum soup can also be seen everywhere in the streets. The seller wearing a blouse doesn't button up, shouting while walking, sweat dripping from his forehead, but he can't bear to take a sip. Besides labor and coolies, the children in the alley are frequent visitors, rushing around his burden and enjoying cheap cold drinks with a little money earned by their parents, with a happy smile on their faces.

Incubation in the cinema is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Fashionable and rich men and women go to some air-conditioned cinemas to cool off. They sat from noon until dusk. Because some cinemas can buy tickets once, and it doesn't matter if they stay for one day. The most suitable person for love. Watching open-air movies is also quite fashionable, enjoying the cool and watching movies kill two birds with one stone. There are several outdoor movie venues in Shanghai, usually in parks. The air is fresh and the environment is pleasant. It's getting dark and there are spectators sitting on the floor everywhere. There are also some young men and women who do the opposite and spend the summer in the ballroom. The lovers danced in the beautiful melody and dim light. The electric fans beside them kept turning and sweating, but they didn't feel hot. For them, dancing seems to be more effective than other summer ways.

Shanghai is close to the sea and rivers. It's romantic and elegant to go to Pujiang for the summer by boat at night. However, the Huangpu River is choppy, so it's cheap and affordable to take a ferry to enjoy the cool. If it's farther, go to Wusong. Wusong is located at the intersection of Huangpu River and Yangtze River, facing the sea. Scholars and poets call it "Wusong Watching the Sea". You can go to Wusong by bus or train from downtown. During the day, I swim in the vast seaside, and at night, the sea breeze blows from a distance, so I feel a little chilly when I put on my clothes. In Baisha District, Gao Qiao, Chuansha, the Shanghai Municipal Government opened a bathing beach in 1930s for citizens to swim in summer. The beach is flat, and the sand in the bathing beach is pebbles that are screened out with a sieve. Looking from a distance, the ebb and flow of the tide is endless, which makes people relaxed and happy. People come to swim in an endless stream.

In the early 1930s, there were four types of swimming pools in Shanghai: public swimming pools, group swimming pools, school swimming pools and private swimming pools. The biggest swimming pool is Hongkou Gong * * *, which is often crowded. The clothes in the dressing room were in a mess, and Chinese and foreign men and women crowded into a pool. People who can swim jump down on the stage, and those who can't jump are covered with lifebuoys. Some girls can't swim, but they sit in shallow water and ask people to take some beautiful pictures with beautiful curves. Tired of swimming, I walked ashore and lay on the grass to enjoy sunbathing. When the sun sets listlessly, get dressed and go home, and the swimming pool will be quiet after a noisy day.

In summer, the original playgrounds in some high-rise buildings were moved to the roof. Most of these high-rise buildings are large department stores. They have a superior geographical position and a commanding position, and they have a panoramic view of the Shanghai beach. People of insight opened an open-air playground on the roof. Tickets are very cheap, 40 cents per person. There are all kinds of games on the playground, as well as performances: storytelling, drumming, beach spring, tricks, acrobatics, antics, women's new dramas and so on. Roof garden, which integrates viewing, watching plays and enjoying the cool air, has become a new fashion way to cool off the summer. Once it is open, it is favored by people.

Some wealthy businessmen and officials have carriages, which are full of western sentiment. There are single-horse two-wheeled vehicles and double-horse four-wheeled vehicles. The car body is open, and a beautiful canopy is built on it. There are two tall steel wheels on both sides of the back, and a rectangular wide carriage is supported in the middle, which is divided into two carriages. Sitting inside, it parades through the city, attracting the attention of passers-by, and the rich feel that their worth has doubled. The coachman whipped his whip, and Ma Benteng flew like flies. The cool wind blew in my face, and the summer heat suddenly vanished. Rich people enjoy it, even staying up all night. After cars entered Shanghai, riding became their new hobby and summer fashion. Cars usually go for a ride at eight or nine o'clock in the evening, avoiding crowded places and driving to quiet places. Generally, it will go west along the direction of Jing' an Temple. There are more and more trees, and the wind blows from heaven and earth, which makes you feel cool and happy.

But for most poor people, the taste of summer is really unpleasant. In the heat wave season, in order to make a living, they have to run around in the scorching sun. Where do they have spare money and leisure? After pulling the last guest, the rickshaw puller came home, and sweat was still rolling out of his pores, like pearls. The towel on the shoulder has long turned black, giving off a pungent smell of sweat. The wife and children quickly handed cold water and wet towels, and the coachman took them and wiped them twice. He gulped down a large glass of water and shouted "Shuang". Then he parked the vehicle he relied on on on the side of the road, stopped soliciting customers, uncovered the worn-out cloth, pulled a worn-out bamboo and sat down, singing: "Fan-Fan-Fan, Fan is coming." Fan-fan-fan, as long as we are not afraid of being tired, the fans who work hard will stay away in this hateful summer ... "

There are many people in the old city and few houses in shanty towns, and it seems that they may collapse at any time. Some houses on both sides of the road can be almost connected, and the road surface is rugged, and only two people can walk side by side at most. There is no electric light, no electric fan, and a faucet is used by at least a dozen households. When the weather is hot, the water is often cut off. At this time, it depends on the water prepared at ordinary times. When they were in high spirits, it was after the sun went down, and the summer heat gradually turned brown, so they could finally go out to enjoy the cool. Sprinkle a basin of vegetable washing water at our door first, and then set a small table and several small stools. The family sits around for dinner, and so does the family next door. Clean up after eating, spread a mat outside the house to sleep, and wait until the sun comes out the next morning before going home.

Summer is the season for children. The children are barefoot, barefoot and full of hot air. They like heat, but they can't feel it. The longest summer vacation, nearly two months. Children from well-off families go to the park to enjoy the cool, learn to swim and eat ice cream in the swimming pool with their parents and brothers, but children from poor families have to share their worries for their families since childhood. Some poor children carry a basket on their backs and keep running, shouting: sell ice, sell ice, they run for survival. As for the taste of ice cream, I have probably never tasted it in my life.