When it comes to movies and shopping malls, people in Chengdu always think of Yanshikou. This golden port, located in the downtown area, started from the official salt shop in the Qing Dynasty. And its name, and therefore. Yanshikou used to be the most "foreign dish" (fashionable) place in Chengdu, and almost every age has its foreign dish story.
Yanshikou was not a district name in Qing dynasty, but a real street. In the fifth year of Guangxu reign in Qing Dynasty (AD 1879), there was a street name because of the establishment of an official salt shop here. Although the street is not long, it starts from the north side of Jinjiang Bridge on the Jinhe River on the Dyeing Room Street and ends at the east exit of Dongyu Street, crossing the original Xidong Street, but it is about 111 meters. However, Yanshikou is located in the city center, which is the throat of downtown areas such as Xiaxi Shuncheng Street, East Street, Jiulong Lane (now Qingnian Road), Dongyu Street and Qingshiqiao. It is also the hub of east, west, north and south traffic, and has great commercial value. It can be called the "first golden port" in Chengdu. Yanshikou gradually became the name of the district, and the original street was also classified as Xiaxi Shuncheng Street, but the name has been preserved to this day. In August of 1966, Yanshikou was renamed as "Hero Kou", and its original name was restored in 1981.
Maybe it's the glory of Zhanguan Salt Shop. There are many brands selling rice flour oil around Yanshikou. More than a dozen shops, such as Changhao, Fasen Tea, Shushan Brewing Society, Fulin Pavilion and Tianxing Tea, near Jinjiang Bridge (now defunct) all deal in rice and oil groceries.
In addition, the restaurants in Yanshikou also have their own characteristics. Lai Tangyuan and Husband and Wife Lung Slices have branches here, and the famous "Jinyuxuan" mash shop also has a facade. "Sanyou bean jelly" is facing Dongyu Street, and diners gather every day. Yellow and white bean jelly and red oil chili pepper are intoxicating, and "Tan Douhua" is steaming and fragrant all day long. "Bamboo Grove Snack" was originally located in Fuxing Street, and moved to Yanshikou in 1951s. It is famous for its unique flavor of white meat with soup and garlic paste.
The most famous "Red Snail Canteen" (later changed to "Clean Canteen") next to the public toilet is probably one of the few restaurants in Chengdu that uses red yam as the main raw material to make dishes. In the era when food and clothing are not enough, sweet potato is often supplied to residents. How to change the pattern to make sweet potato delicious? The master in the "Hung Hom Canteen" tried his best to make all kinds of Hung Hom foods that were eye-opening. Here, the sweet glutinous rice flour, the sweet rock sugar, the fragrant shredded fried garlic seedlings, the spicy and delicious baked bean curd, and the soft and crisp fried radish make the people in a semi-hungry state satisfied. My mother was greatly inspired after eating in the "Red Snail Dining Hall". When she came home, she made us red snakebabs and shredded garlic noodles, which made us shout "so comfortable" (comfortable and satisfied). Because it is connected with East Street and Qingnian Road Night Market, Yanshikou Night Market is also very lively. The seller of "Bangbanggao" knocked on the bamboo sticks clearly, attracting the attention of passers-by. The seller of "pea cake" can sing: "pea oil cake, oil oil cake. Adults have the strength to eat, and children have the knowledge to eat. " He can also make the street names of Chengdu interesting: "The boy takes the champion street, the prefect kills the cow and pear flower street, the general rises to Chunxi Road, and the dyehouse learns the Taoist street in Wolong ..." On the north side of anrakuji, a Taoist named Liu, who lives in a residential shop, specializes in three-way mud, and his business is excellent all day long. Buyers who go back to the hall have a look back and think twice. "Li Sen Ji Restaurant" has a unique flavor of rabbit meat and green fruit and jujube wine. Its dried bean curd with pepper and hemp has a long aftertaste, which is chewy and refreshing. The owner will also sing and sell: "Dried bean curd with pepper and spicy bean curd, with pepper and salt, is easy to eat." From the street to the end of the street, you can smell the delicious food everywhere.
Slowly, there is more than just delicious food in Yanshikou. On February 31th, 1965, I worked in the task force of Qinglong Commune, a social education work group in the suburbs of Chengdu. In order to make our team members celebrate New Year's Day, the group gave everyone a movie ticket to the People's Cinema. The film was "The Great Music and Dance Epic". This can make me excited, watching movies, which was a very enjoyable thing at that time, but I didn't expect that the cinema actually showed a wide color screen! Magnificent scenes, spectacular scenery and wonderful performances make every viewer extremely comfortable.
At that time, Dongfanghong, which was shown in other theaters in Chengdu, was an ordinary screen, and only People's Cinema took the lead in showing a wide screen. Since then, the People's Cinema has been showing "Dongfanghong" for one and a half months in a row, and the venue is full. It didn't end until February 2 of the following year.
The People's Cinema in Yanshikou was called Rongguang Grand Theater before 1951. It was built on the ruins left by Japanese planes when they bombed Yanshikou on June 1939. It was completed and opened in the Spring Festival of 1943. It not only showed movies, but also staged Peking Opera and acrobatics. On April 5, 1953, it was renamed as "Chengdu First People's Cinema" (now "Southwest Film Capital"). Because it is located at the crossroads of the first golden port, its business situation has been very good.
? In September, 1972, People's Cinema took the lead in showing the Korean color widescreen film Flower Girl. The content of the film was very sensational, and everyone who watched it cried bitterly. At that time, Chengdu was the only standard wide-screen cinema. In order to meet the needs of millions of people in Chengdu to watch the film, the cinema was open 24 hours a day, but it still disappointed many people who wanted to see it first.
Seeing this situation, other cinemas couldn't hold back and changed to wide screens. Although it is not a standard wide screen, it finally meets the needs of the audience slightly. The screening of "Flower Girl" has promoted the popularization of wide screen in Chengdu film industry, and the People's Cinema has made great contributions.
Because of the cinema, the area around Yanshikou is bustling and crowded every holiday. Coupled with the shopping crowds in the "Central Vegetable Market" (now "Hongqi Shopping Mall") and "People's Shopping Mall", the whole Yanshikou is even more crowded, and there are dark people everywhere.
when it comes to the "central vegetable market", there are quite a few places here. Before 1951, it was called "anrakuji", which was a temple built by the King of Shu in Ming Dynasty for Adou Liu Chan, the son of Liu Bei. It was named "anrakuji" after taking the meaning of "I am happy here, but I don't think about Shu". After being destroyed by a fire, it was rebuilt during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of 21 mu. In the first year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1919), Huayang County established a primary school hall here. After the Revolution of 1911, it became the "site of Yishou Charity Association" and later became the "Xiaxi Shuncheng Street Primary School".
in the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China, "anrakuji" became the market of money industry, and it has been booming. When I was a child, I went to anrakuji with my father. I saw a gold ingot, a silver ingot, a seal of silver and copper coins, and piles of copper coins either on the table or on the street, which was very eye-catching (striking). I learned a lot of jargon here.
The main hall is the main trading place, and there are countless strings of "lifting plates" and "beating plates" at the gate. The so-called "lifting plates" means raising prices to buy, while "beating plates" means lowering prices to collect.
These people keep shouting: "Buy and sell, big head and small head, open your eyes and close your eyes, go against the wind ..." People who are new here and don't know "jargon" and are in urgent need of money are often confused by this string of strings and will inevitably suffer. In fact, the image of Yuan Shikai on the silver dollar is different in size, and it is "big head and small head"; Yuan Shikai seems to have the distinction of opening his eyes without opening them, that is, "opening his eyes and closing his eyes"; The sailboat sails in the silver dollar "windsurfing" are different from the right wind and the left wind, which is "downwind and headwind" When anrakuji's money trade was at its peak, even the "new shopping mall" opposite "anrakuji" was crowded with people doing money business.
foreign dishes in People's Shopping Mall
I often took part in various parades when I was studying. The procession must pass through Yanshikou. This is the only place where all kinds of rallies and parades pass. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Yanshikou was brightly lit all night; Celebrating the liberation of Chengdu, happy parades are coming here in an endless stream. There was a bronze statue in Yanshikou in early years, which was cast in 1938 to commemorate Liu Xiang, a general of Sichuan Army who died in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and to commend his deeds. The bronze statue is shaped like Liu Xiang looking at the distance and steadily crossing the horse.
Because of its central location, Chengdu's public transportation routes were first set up here. On July 1, 1951, Chengdu's "One Road" bus took the lead in opening. The route is from Yanshikou to the railway station. Many people regard taking the bus as a kind of enjoyment. I took the bus at that time and went to the train station with my parents to watch the train. On May 1, 1957, the first car rental station in Chengdu was established in Yanshikou. The models are Mercedes-Benz and Chevrolet, and the fare is 1.55 yuan per kilometer. Taxi stops at the station and waits for someone to rent it, instead of driving in the street to pick up passengers.
On June 6th, 1953, the "New Shopping Mall" in Yanshikou was transformed into "People's Shopping Mall" and officially opened. According to Sichuan Daily at that time, the total area was about 1,311 square feet, * * * had eight sheds, one shop and 221 pavements ... Private businesses operating in People's Shopping Mall included 172 seat merchants and 251 vendors in more than a dozen industries ... The commodities operated in the shopping mall included daily necessities, stationery, hardware electrical materials, handicrafts, local products, clothes and antiques.
It was the most awesome shopping mall in Chengdu at that time. Because there are plenty of goods in the shopping mall, the goods that other shopping malls are short of are supplied in the People's Shopping Mall. When I got married, I bought new mosquito nets and sofas in People's Shopping Mall. There are also performances by Xinrong Pingju Opera Troupe and Puppet Troupe in the People's Shopping Mall. There are also flower stalls at the south gate, and the north gate is in Binlong Lane. The stalls in the small alley are full, which is really lively. When I was young, I liked collecting stamps. Yanshikou Post Office had a stamp counter, and I often went there to buy my favorite stamps. Many people who exchange or buy or sell stamps often gather at the entrance of the post office, which is the second largest philatelic market in Chengdu.
Before the reform and opening up, there were a lot of people "looking for food" (looking for work) in Yanshikou area. Carving pen characters, cutting people's heads, buying and selling tickets, and exchanging pickets are all available, especially from People's Cinema to local product stores and Dongyu Street. These people either walk along the street with a pack of "Peony" and "Qunying" cigarettes in their hands, or an unmarked bottle of "Follow-up Wine", or set up a small newspaper stall to sell photos of dead stars and some remakes of scenic songs.
In 1981, when the department store stall on Qingnian Road started, vendors were waiting at the gate of People's Shopping Mall early. As soon as the mall opened, the vendors rushed in to snap up the goods in short supply, and then sold them at a higher price on Qingnian Road. People's Shopping Mall sells a pair of women's high-heeled shoes in 9 yuan, and they increase the price to 21 yuan. This has made many people rich. One of my primary school classmates set up a stall on Qingnian Road, and the business was very prosperous. Every time I go, I see him in a hurry. In fact, "Youth Road" used to be called "Kowloon Lane". On June 19, 1939, 27 Japanese planes bombed Yanshikou, dropping 111 bombs, killing 226 people, wounding 432 people, destroying 4,719 houses, and "Jiulong Lane" became a ruin. The restoration of this street in 1942 coincided with the swearing-in of the Anti-Japanese Youth Expeditionary Force. To commemorate this feat, this street was named "Youth Road".
(Part II: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, the Prefect Street)