Jining Zhugan Lane is located on the south bank of the old canal in Jining City, Shandong Province. The total length is about 2 miles. Most of the shops along the west side of the street are 2-3-story, 5-bay, hard-mounted-style buildings with raised beams and balconies in the front, supported by bright pillars. It includes Zhugan Lane, Zhifang Street, Hanshiqiao Street, Zhidian Street, as well as Qingping Lane, Dasheng Lane, Yongfeng Lane and Dazhakou Henan Street, a large area facing the river. In fact, it consists of five streets connected end to end. From Dongdai Temple to the west are Zhifang Street, Nanhan Shiqiao Street, and Zhidian Street. From Dongdai Temple to the south, there are Zhugan Lane and Xiaozhaoweng City.
The emergence of Bamboo Cane Lane came into being with the construction of the canal in the Yuan Dynasty. It gradually developed after the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was diverted to Jining in the Yuan Dynasty. Jining is famous for its bamboo weaving, local products, groceries, etc. Handicraft workshop area. The architectural pattern of shops in the front and factories in the back, with shops below and residences above, has a strong ethnic flavor. It is a typical neighborhood that currently reflects Jining’s commercial profile during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It directly reflects the characteristics of Jining’s canal culture and has a strong Jiangnan water town charm. In 1985, it was announced as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit by the Jining Municipal People's Government. Dongda Temple at the north end of Zhugan Lane was announced as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Shandong Provincial People's Government in 1977.
The five streets of Zhugan Lane start from Jishikou (now Rencheng Road) in the west, end at Shunhe Mosque in the east, turn south and end at Xiaozhakou Bridge, just like a "curved ruler" shape. Judging from the layout, these houses are built along the river, and the streets also curve along the river. Between the river and the streets, there are many alleys perpendicular to it, such as Qingning Lane, Yongfeng Lane, Dasheng Lane, Qingping Lane, etc., all leading to the dock on the bank of the canal. Local people call it Laolong Playing in the Water, with Todaiji Temple as the dragon's head. The dragon's head plunges into the Grand Canal to form a green dragon playing in the water. The long and curved bamboo pole alley is the dragon's body, and the alleys on the left and right are Qingning Lane, Yongfeng Lane, and Dasheng Lane. Dragon Claw, it is said that there was an original well deep in the alley, not for collecting water, but for "water nails" to nail the giant dragon. If Todaiji Temple is regarded as a bright pearl, the two winding streets from Todaiji Temple to the west and south are like two dragon bodies, forming two dragons playing with Todaiji Temple.
Jining is the largest bamboo market in Shandong, and Jining’s bamboo workshops are mostly concentrated in Zhugan Lane. There were 37 in the late Qing Dynasty, 60 in the Republic of China, and more than 130 before the Anti-Japanese War. Until today, Zhugan Lane It is still the base camp of Jining City’s bamboo industry.
Businessmen in the bamboo industry go to the south to purchase moso bamboo. They tie moso bamboos that are more than ten meters long and twenty to thirty centimeters thick into bamboo rafts, and pile some small yellow bamboos and mottled bamboos on top to make pen holders and tobacco pouches. Rod. Some were tied to both sides of the imperial water transport ships and carried to Jining. At that time, a large number of water transport fleets were tied with many bamboo poles on both sides. The advantage was that the ships would not collide when passing through the locks. Even if the ships collided, the bamboo poles would be separated by the impact force, which could reduce the impact and make them relatively safe. When encountering wind and waves during transportation, a large number of bamboo poles can also increase the buoyancy of the ship, thus reducing the risk of shipwreck. These moso bamboos were transported to Jining and sold at low prices. In this way, a large number of moso bamboos piled up on the south bank of the canal. In many years, the amount could reach more than one million jin. Gradually, a bamboo industry street was formed, and the bamboo pole alley appeared. Later, with the development and prosperity of the bamboo industry, bamboo shops also extended from Zhugan Alley to the adjacent Zhifang Street, Hanshi Bridge and Zhidian Street, forming the larger concept of Bamboo Gan Lane. Because there are mostly two-story pavilion-style paved buildings on both sides of the lanes of Zhugan Lane, they are simple, elegant, small and exquisite. The structure of the front shop and back shop has both the smart and elegant style of the Jiangnan water town and the solid and heavy feeling of the north. Therefore, it is also known as "Little Suzhou in Jiangbei".
The architecture of the houses in Zhugan Lane is unique, with two-story pavilions with fully open movable doors below, bright pavements, square bricks and black tiles, and bluestone paving, making it refreshing and cool to walk around. The buildings are built along the river, with uneven advancement and retreat, and meandering at random, forming a unique style of doing business in front of the door and taking a boat behind the yard. The buildings are connected to each other, with ups and downs. The lower part of the attic is used as a facade, and the upper part is mostly used as a resting and accommodation place for apprentices and clerks. The buildings in Zhugan Lane have undergone several structural improvements over more than a hundred years by southern craftsmen and constant renovations by northern masons, so they have both northern and southern styles. Known as the "Flower of Jeju", bamboo baskets are favored by merchants from all over the world. Bamboo products, calligraphy and painting antiques, teahouses and taverns, singing houses and brothels, all three religions and nine streams are available. The two lines of the poem "Businessmen are addicted to profit, and restaurants and singing houses are noisy" aptly describe the prosperity at that time.
The bamboo industry in Jining’s Zhugan Lane thrived on the excavation of canals, and the bamboo weaving technology also benefited from the teachings of bamboo weaving artists from the south of the Yangtze River. With the opening of the canal, skilled bamboo weavers from the south of the Yangtze River also came to Jining along the canal. They set up shops near the river, opened restaurants, recruited apprentices, and taught their skills. Using saws, bamboo knives, and hand drills as the main tools, bamboo is made into bamboo strips of various grades, including thick, thin, and fine, according to the category and purpose, and then weaved into novel, exquisite, lightweight, and practical bamboo products.
The bamboo industry in Zhugan Lane is divided into several professions according to the types of materials used. They call different professions "business". For example, those who specialize in the production of bamboo products such as tying brooms, twisting whip picks, making chopsticks, etc. are called tiaozihang. The workmanship is relatively rough and do not require deep processing after selecting the materials; those who specialize in making wedding sedans are called sedan chairs, which mostly use large The materials and workmanship vary from rough to fine; those who are engaged in weaving birdcages are called cage workers. Based on the selection of materials, it is basically all fine work. A birdcage needs to go through nearly ten steps of touching the pole, rowing the pole, lifting it, and pulling the strips. Only through several processes can we make the bamboo strips for weaving cages. To weave a birdcage, nearly a hundred processes are required from beginning to end.
These products can be roughly divided into four categories:
(1) Whip sticks and bamboo poles: whip tips, three-strand sticks, four-strand sticks, boatgrass, account poles, bamboo poles, and bamboo brooms for driving livestock , bamboo tubes, bamboo rakes, small household bamboo poles, bamboo ladders, bamboo chopsticks, bamboo tea trays, kite string crutches, etc.
(2) Woven bamboo utensils: various sizes of baskets, baskets, sieves, chicken covers, powder covers, bean filters, oil hoops, flour traps, fishing cages, etc.
(3) Bird and insect cages: various large and small square cages and garden cages, special lark cages, thrush cages, dotted cages, parrot cages, and all kinds of cages and pull cages for catching birds. , or even the smallest grasshopper cage. The products are exquisite in craftsmanship, exquisite and clear, and beautiful in appearance.
(4) Sedan bed furniture: various sizes of bamboo beds, bamboo chairs, bamboo stools, sedan chairs, festive ceremonial guards (umbrellas, fans, flower sticks, skirt lights, etc.) sedan chairs, beds, chairs Products such as these are lighter than wooden ones and are suitable for use in mountainous areas.
Based on the grade of bamboo products, rough-woven bamboo products are mostly simple. Depending on the purpose, they range from bamboo baskets and bamboo baskets to bamboo doors, air doors, and bamboo beds to protect against wind and cold in winter. Small ones include fly swatters for swatting flies; finer ones include bamboo chopsticks, bamboo sieves, bamboo mats, etc. In the old days, from Bakou grain store to ordinary farmhouse, which one did not have bamboo sieves woven from bamboo poles; more exquisite bamboo products are They are bamboo boxes, bamboo baskets, etc. Bamboo baskets alone have many designs and varieties, some are large and some are small, some are square and some are round, some are long and some are flat.
To make a traditional handicraft bamboo basket, you have to go through many delicate processes, from breaking the bamboo strips to pulling, dipping, dyeing and weaving. Words such as "good luck and good fortune" and "abundance of wealth and wealth" are woven on it, and then different patterns of flowers, birds and insects are woven to set it off. The bottom of the basket is also very particular. It is usually a round bottom supporting the drum cavity. The crescent-shaped basket handle is equipped with a beautiful basket cover, which is brightly colored. Such a bamboo basket with novel design, novel composition and wonderful changes is simply an exquisite work of art that you can never tire of. It has both appreciation and practical value. It is well-deserved to be called the "Flower of Jeju". However, there are not many bamboo weaving artists with such superb skills now, and the craft is on the verge of being lost. If it is not discovered as soon as possible, it will be difficult for future generations to appreciate this bamboo weaving art.
Jining was historically an important town in southwest Shandong, with convenient water and land transportation, which brought a broad market for the sales of bamboo products. The bamboo products of Zhugan Lane are spread to the vast rural areas with a radius of 200 to 300 miles. When farmers near Jining enter the city, most of them stop by Zhugan Lane to bring back the bamboo wares they need. There are also merchants who come from afar to sell bamboo wares from Zhugan Lane to Cao (Prefecture) and Yi (Prefecture), or along the waterway with the water transport fleet. Sold to Beijing (Beijing) and Tianjin (Tianjin) along the way.
Before liberation, Jining's bamboo industry reached its peak. At this time, in addition to five larger bamboo shops, "Xiangtai" and "Shunxing" were also formed in Bamboo Lane. , "Taimao" and more than 100 famous stores and bamboo workshops. However, in the war years when soldiers and bandits were raging, excessive levies and miscellaneous taxes were numerous, coupled with transportation difficulties, lack of raw materials, and blocked sales, the bamboo production in Zhugan Alley was temporarily depressed, and many shops and workshops closed down. He fell into a depressed situation of "deserted traffic and few horses and horses in front of the door".
After liberation, with the stability of society, the development of industrial and agricultural production and the continuous improvement of water conservancy facilities, some larger shops began to use motorized barges to haul in large quantities of moso bamboo. After the Yanji Railway was restored, the moso bamboo from Jiangnan was transferred to Yanzhou along the Jinpu Line to Jining. At this point, the Bamboo Cane Alley, which had been dormant for a long time, gradually "awakened" again. With the needs of production and social development, craftsmen engaged in bamboo production began to take the road of mutual assistance and cooperation. In 1954, production groups such as Hongguang and Liming were organized. In 1956, on the basis of small collective mutual aid groups (production groups), individual bamboo shops and workshops united to establish Hongguang, Liming, Jianxin and other bamboo production cooperatives. . In order to facilitate management, Jianxin, Hongguang and Liming Bamboo Cooperatives were renamed as the First, Second and Third Bamboo Cooperatives successively. In 1958, the First Bamboo Ware Society was renamed Jian Hsinchu Rattan Factory, with more than 300 workers, and the Chongzhu Can Lane was moved to Yuehe South Street.
The smooth flow of water transportation has brought about the smooth flow of goods and the gathering of merchants in Jining. Water boats, fresh boats, fast boats, horse boats, supply boats, patrol boats, salt patrol boats and private merchant ships shuttled on the river. Going back and forth, the gongs and drums of the cannon boats, the shouts of the guards, and the chants of the trackers come and go, day and night. Furs and medicinal materials from the north, silk, bamboo, tea, and ceramics from the south were transported along the way. Grain, cotton, and oil produced in hundreds of counties in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, and Anhui were shipped out on ships, and merchants from the north and south gathered here. In Jining City, merchants from nine provinces have successively established seven guild halls, all of which are located around Zhugan Lane, showing a prosperous scene of "main canals, both sides of the canal, and numerous shops". The smooth shipping, the prosperity of trade, the development of handicraft industry, coupled with the numerous water department yamen, the influx of imperial officials, and the swaggering of gold hairpins and jade pendants, strongly stimulated the expansion of the construction scale and the formation of the style of Zhugan Alley, which once made Zhugan Alley a prominent figure in the ancient city of Jining. It has become so famous that people forget to leave, and it has become a beautiful cultural business card in Jining City.
Jining is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, a holy land of culture. From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the five great saints Confucius, Mencius, Yan, Zeng and Zisi, Jining has added a rich history and culture to the city, with more than 700 years of history. The historical Zhugan Alley has added a strong canal cultural atmosphere to the development of Jining. Zhugan Alley is a typical historical and cultural city that has witnessed the rise and fall of the canal and the development of Jining.