After 1928, Changdian declined. The Municipal Government decided to open the fair twice a year in order to reverse the declining trend, one around the New Years Day and one in the first lunar month. The fair around the New Years Day attracted few people and peddleries. But on the fair in the first lunar month, booths and peddleries gathered, leaving no space to put feet in. Many toys were sold here on the Changdian Fair, including monkey figure, wax peach, wax pear, wax orange, wax egg plant, wax water melon, wax corn, wax duck, wax fish and wax prawn; glass persimmon, grape, apple etc.; rice figurine, paper butterfly, clay bird, diabolo, Pupudeng, running horse lantern, crane incense burner, balloon, pig hair doll, Gongyan, musical instrument, crossbow, gold fish, and tin or iron wide sword, spear, sword and halberd; glass, cup, birds and beasts; sugar-coated haws, pea cake, sticky rice ball, pea porridge, cotton sugar, bean juice, crisp fried rice, pear grease, dumpling, stir-fried rice, oil tea, boiled tripe, sticky rice cake, bean starch, pork sausage etc.; and other daily necessities. The autumn pear grease and plum syrup made by the Xinyuanzhai locating at the East Liulichang Road were well known in Beijing. Some foreigners also solicited their products on Changdian Fair, in 1935, 80 booths among the one hundred toy booths sold Japanese toys. In 1964, the Changdian Fair suspended for the sake of traffic factor.
At the peak time of Changdian Fair, visiting the fair became one of the interests of Beijing people. Many scholars celebrated it, e.g. the poem composed by Lv Fukai goes as: As the Changdian Fair opened in the new year, numerous women came to explore the spring, carts occupied the road, their beauty was witnessed by the customers. Pan Enyuan composed another poem: Changdian Fair opened for fifteen days, thousands of people surged to the front, it was the very thing to run across two festivals, from the New Years Day to the Spring Festival. Jiang Tanyun’s poem runs as: Hundreds of shows displayed on the square around the Lantern Festival, the brilliant lamps outshone the moon, learned that the Jinwu would not curfew, lamps and fireworks were lit up to the east.” Mei Zengliang’s poem runs as: Lamps illuminated visitor’s path, the street filled with carts and noises, spring came, people lit up lamps to sell kites before it goes warm.” Zhang Hanyong’s poem goes as: Fan Jingwen inscribed for the lamp fair, the dragon of lamps ran towards the sky, everywhere on the Liulichang Road, green-eyed foreigners reveled here.
The Old Tianqiao Bridge of Beijing
Tianqiao Bridge was located at the south of Qianmenwai Street, which was named from the story that the emperor passed the bridge to when sacrificing the two temples (Tian means sky, and the emperor was regarded as the son of the sky). Willows and lotuses flourished here in Ming and Qing Dynasty. By the end of Qing Dynasty and in early years of the Republic of China, it became noisy downtown area for it was near to the Qiansanmen Area where assembly halls, inns and commerce concentrated. Various shows and businesses gathered here, attracted visitors in a stream, this area became the famous entertainment place in the capital. As time changed, the bridge has disappeared completely, the Old Tianqiao Bridge of Beijing has been the representative of the folk custom of Beijing until today, for it contained rich folk information.
Different Trades
Tianqiao changed with fashion as time flew. Rich contents, endless canopies and hall columns, various shows and dramas jointly constituted a vivid folk custom painting. The active, optimistic, humorous spirits were the treasures of the culture of Xuanwu District.
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