At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, carriages were once popular in Shanghai. Carriage was originally introduced from the west as a means of transportation for foreigners in the concession. Most of them have four iron wheels, and there are two kinds of horses: single horse and double horse. Seating styles are divided into sedan-chair type "sedan chair" and open type "caravan". There is an upright iron column behind the sedan chair with a hood on it, which is a kind between the sedan chair and the canopy. The equipment on these carriages is exquisite, especially the carriages, green curtains, white copper spittoons, illuminated mirrors, porcelain vases for flower arrangement, fox skin mattresses in winter, white copper hand stoves and foot stoves, and the carriages are full of spring. In addition, there is a kind of rubber-coated two-wheeled carriage called "Hunter", which can automatically rein in the reins and ride on the famous Arabic horse with brocade, which is the most fashionable.
19 70 After that, China people began to set up stables and rent carriages in Shanghai. The first China person who took a carriage in Shanghai was Cheng, a businessman from Hangzhou, who lived in Shanghai. Due to the backward manufacturing technology, the original domestic imitation western-style carriage is not very strong, the axle is easy to break, and car accidents happen from time to time. At that time, there was a saying that riding in a sedan chair was divided into three lives. There are few passengers except fashionable boys who like to imitate foreigners. After improvement and quality improvement, the number of passengers is increasing day by day. Generally speaking, people in luxury houses employ coachmen and carriages. Officials, gentry, rich people, princes and grandsons, daughters of boudoir, all love to go out by carriage, which has become a fashion for a while. In the early years of the Republic of China, Zheng Rucheng, Yuan Shikai's favorite and Shanghai garrison ambassador, could take a two-wheeled carriage. Later, he was stabbed to death at Waibaidu Bridge and sat in a two-wheeled carriage. At that time, ordinary officials loved to ride by car, with their solemnity; Rich, young and educated people prefer caravans, which can extend in all directions. Walking around in a carriage and visiting famous gardens is the most striking thing. At that time, Sima Road (Fuzhou Road) was the busiest place in the downtown area. When traveling by carriage, you must take Sima Road. In the afternoon, idle people often go to the teahouse along Sima Road to make a pot of green tea, sit by the window and watch the passing carriages as a pastime.
Ordinary people can't afford a carriage, but they can rent it from the stable for a month or use it temporarily. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were stables on almost every street, and the "Dragonfly" on Baike Road (now Fengyang Road) was the most famous. There are also some dilapidated wagons owned by coachmen, called "pheasant wagons", which are mostly concentrated in the area of Shiliupu Wharf. The carriage can take four people and run full, and the fare is three copper coins per car. At that time, there was a rule in the concession: Western carriages were in front, and China carriages behind them were not allowed to overtake, and offenders were fined. China carriage in front, the back of the western carriage is not in this case.
After the first year of the Republic of China, modern vehicles and cars rose, and carriages could not escape the fate of being eliminated, and began to decline from the 1920s. 1937 Before the Anti-Japanese War, there were only 8 horses and 8 cars left in Shanghai. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the carriage reappeared on the streets of Shanghai. But in speed and style, the carriage is far less than the car; In terms of convenience and benefits, the carriage is not as popular as the tricycle at that time, so it is no longer popular. On the eve of liberation, carriages can only be found occasionally near the North Railway Station and the Great World. After liberation, the carriage finally disappeared in Shanghai.