Selling is also called shouting, and it is also called the sound of the city or the sound of goods. This is a major advertising form and historical phenomenon. "Everything goes wrong" contains: "The solid thing of its shield cannot be trapped. All the benefits of my spear are trapped. " This "contradictory" story of selling spears and shields can be said to be the earliest recorded in ancient books. Since the commodity exchange in the Western Zhou Dynasty, with the development of trade, "Hong merchants sit on the mountain and eat the air" came into being. Businessmen are eager to buy and sell, so they must use hawking (there is no need to peddle if they have their own shops), especially those small traders who do small business. Therefore, the history of peddling along the street is very long. As far as Beijing is concerned, the long and melodious cries of Beijing flavor and Beijing rhyme have a long history, forming a unique style and becoming an important part of Beijing flavor culture. No matter in temple fairs, streets and alleys, day and night, in my childhood memory, from the late 1940 s to the mid-1950 s, this kind of urban voice can be heard almost every day. As the saying goes, "drink whatever you sell." In the past, the commodities sold by small vendors in Beijing and their hawking voices mostly varied with seasons and festivals. However, there are also some small vendors who sell the same commodity all year round, regardless of season. Among them, some craftsmen, such as those who repair leather and casual shoes, those who repair tables and chairs, those who sharpen scissors and grab kitchen knives, and those who repair umbrellas, all have their own shouts. It is very characteristic to sell by season and festival. For example, when spring comes, jiaozi, who sells instant noodles, cries in Hutonger: "Instant noodles jiaozi-it's so hot …" Because this kind of jiaozi boiled noodles in half water, it is called instant noodles jiaozi. Whether the seller is carrying a load or pushing a two-wheeled vehicle, he is selling it now. Cooking utensils such as noodles, stuffing, small stoves and cages are very convenient and popular. "Big or small-Xiaojin-Fish, alas ..." The seller of small goldfish came trembling with a pole. By the turn of spring and summer, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, and people began to sell bean jelly, scones, glutinous rice lotus root and "snowflakes falling" in the hutongs. "Snowflakes falling" is actually shaved ice. Put a piece of natural or artificial ice into blocks, put it on a plate, and pour spices such as sherbet, which is cold and delicious. In summer, children sweat profusely. Just after eating a plate of shaved ice, the whole body sweat disappeared immediately. Therefore, "snowflake falling" is a very popular summer product in the past, and the price is also very cheap. When I was a child, what I ate most in summer was "snowflakes falling". In addition to banging on ice cups (two copper bowls banging on each other in their hands), the seller also shouted, "Hey-snowflakes are falling, is it delicious? Hey-give it a try! " He shouted: "You give more, you fill more-cold and sweet-delicious!" "Live seedlings-old corn alas ...", "Fresh children come in May-tender and lamentable!" With the creaking of the wheels, the seller of boiled old corn came pushing a unicycle. The so-called live seedling means that this old corn is newly broken and tender. At that time, the cries of selling watermelons were often heard in summer. Most melon stalls in the street are cut into pieces and sold in retail. The seller shouted with a banana fan: "Eat it-taste it piece by piece-it's sweet in your mouth-it depends on a big sigh ..." Someone also shouted: "The big watermelon coughs and the crunchy sand makes a scene." I remember a middle-aged man often came to our hutong to sell iron broad beans on rainy days. Although all he sells are fried broad beans, they are divided into crispy and tin. Crispy broad beans are all fried, and the taste is crisp and chewy. Tin is hard and hard, and it is very hard to chew. My mother refused to buy me canned broad beans, saying that she was afraid of breaking her teeth. At that time, as soon as I heard "crispy skin-iron broad beans ...", I had to go out and buy them, rain or shine. Autumn is the season for seafood. The so-called seafood is water chestnut, chicken head rice, lotus, water chestnut, white lotus root and so on. The hawker who often comes to our hutong is over 50 years old, with a shoulder pole on his shoulder and two baskets woven by Vitex negundo. Holding one ear, I shouted, "Hey, buy white lotus root, fresh water chestnut and chicken head …" or "buy fresh water chestnut-old water chestnut …" I often bought his water chestnut. As long as I hear his voice, I will ask my mother for money. He used a special pair of scissors to cut off both ends of water chestnut first, and then cut the middle of water chestnut again, but he didn't cut it. No matter how much you buy, he cuts one by one, very earnest and patient. After cutting, wrap it in fresh lotus leaves. Buying chicken's head rice is also cut from the inside with scissors and wrapped in lotus leaves. It is very cold in winter in Beijing, but there are still many vendors coming to Hutonger every day. At this time, the hawking is mainly food, such as bean juice, enema, beef liver, sugar-coated haws, candied dates, rotten broad beans, kidney bean cakes, turnips, curtains, hard cakes and so on. A bleak "pear-spicy change ..." People all know that this is a radish seller; "It's rotten-broad beans ..." Here comes the seller of spiced broad beans. Contrary to iron broad bean, this is a kind of broad bean cooked with pepper, star anise and salt. The seller carries an oval wooden box on his shoulder and a bracket. When selling, open the bracket and support it on the ground, and put the wooden box on it. Open the white cotton pad covered with broad beans, and the hot open broad beans smell fragrant. Because he is allowed to come to Hutonger to sell at 8: 00 every morning, I buy five cents for dinner with a white bowl with blue edges and half for breakfast every day. Kidney bean cakes are also sold in oval wooden cases, and the shouts are: "Spicy hands-kidney bean cakes ……" These kidney bean cakes were all made at that time. The peddler's wooden box contains boiled kidney beans, which are particularly rotten and steaming, and covered with white cotton pads. When someone buys it, he puts a proper amount of kidney beans on a clean white cloth, closes his mouth, slaps it on his palm and squeezes it into a round cake, then sprinkles salt and pepper. Even if it is cold in Xian Yi, it is sweet and delicious. Hard pastry is also a snack in Beijing. It is forbidden to dry noodles in half and eat special gluten. Sellers are always at night, even at midnight, and sometimes they can sell for another five days. Silent night, sometimes wake up, I not only hear the cold wind, but also hear the sound of "hard face-bun bun ……" occasionally coming out of the alley. Dozens of peddlers in Beijing continued the public-private partnership at 1956. At that time, there were fewer and fewer vendors in the streets and alleys. By the "Great Leap Forward" period of 1958, all the voices of commodities had been lost, which was caused by historical development and social changes. In recent years, perhaps because of nostalgia, on the stage and at temple fairs, some people are imitating the previous hawking sounds, some of which are really similar, but they always feel "fake" after listening to them, because they are full of food and drink, lacking a sense of vicissitudes, realism and historical environment. But in any case, these imitative shouts let young people know a side of Beijing life in the past, and also let those who are nostalgic find a feeling. And listening to real or loud and melodious, or deep, or hoarse and short crying, and eating sweet and delicious, original and dusty snacks, only in dreams.