During the Republic of China, ordinary people had dinner very early and finished their dinner before it got dark. The reason is simple. When it gets dark, you need to light a lamp, which wastes electricity or gas. Eating early can save a considerable amount of money.
Whenever it gets dark, the people at the bottom of Tianjin go out with their small benches and go to nearby shops to listen to the radio. This is their rare leisure and entertainment time. With the fatigue of a tiring day, they can listen to a few crosstalks and a few
Performing Peking Opera and listening to a few pop songs makes you feel like you are enjoying the life of a fairy.
Yuan San'er took his daughter-in-law, who had just married last year, happily to the grocery store at the entrance of the alley. The door was full of people, extending from the steps to the street. On both sides, they sold Mahua, Tangdui'er, melon seeds, and sugar water.
There are often people buying some food from the stalls, and the business of the stalls is pretty good.
Since Japan provoked riots in Tianjin, Tianjin's economy has been hit hard, and the lives of the people at the bottom have become even more difficult. Although Yuan San'er was reluctant to spend money, he still said to his wife: "Xian'er, do you want to eat melon seeds or twists?"
Xian'er looked at the snack stall, swallowed her saliva, and said with a smile: "Why spend that money? Just listen to the radio. I'm pregnant now. Wouldn't it be better to leave the money for our child so that he can study in the future?"
"You just need to take more supplements when you're pregnant." Yuan San'er didn't wait for his wife to object, walked to the melon seed stall, took out two copper coins and said, "Weigh some melon seeds."
"okay!"
The stall owner didn't mind the lack of money, so he grabbed a handful of melon seeds and put them on the weighing pan. He picked through them, raised the scale beam and said, "The scale is booming!"
Yuan San'er quickly picked up the melon seeds with his clothes and held them back to his wife like a treasure: "Xian'er, try it quickly, these melon seeds are delicious."
"Yes. Third brother, you can eat too." Xian'er's pretty face smiled.
Small bourgeois people have a small bourgeois life. A piece of radio and a handful of melon seeds are enough to make them feel satisfied with their lives.
"Jiuda refined salt, a well-known brand in China, is a proud domestic product that is exported to Southeast Asia!"
"One bowl will moisten the throat, two bowls will relieve loneliness, three bowls will relieve the dryness of the intestines, and four bowls will cause light sweating. All the hardships in life will be dispersed into the pores... Cheng Yuxin Tea House's Tianjin store is grandly opened, an authentic and time-honored Huizhou tea brand, Mr. Hu Shi
We agreed after drinking."
"..."
The commercial ran for three minutes, and someone complained: "There are really more and more commercials on this radio!"
Someone next to me immediately retorted: "Mr. Zhou runs a broadcasting company and lets you listen to music and cross talk for free, but he doesn't allow others to advertise?"
"That's right, it would be better to have more advertisements. If we can't receive advertisements, the broadcasting company will close down and go out of business. Where will everyone go to listen to the program!" Everyone agreed.
Nowadays, there are two main broadcasting companies in Tianjin. In addition to Zhou Hexuan's China Broadcasting Company, Shanghai has also opened a branch in Tianjin. However, people still prefer to listen to China Broadcasting Company. Firstly, everyone is nostalgic for the past, and secondly, the programs of China Broadcasting Company are more interesting.
.
After the commercial ended, there was a Peking Opera excerpt. Yuan Saner listened happily, looking at his wife beside him from time to time, feeling that life was full of flavor.
Suddenly, a strange and familiar voice came from the radio: "Hello everyone, listeners, it's time for "7pm Gossip", and I am the host Zhou Hexuan..."
"Wow!"
The people in front of the shop became agitated. Although they were just ordinary people, they had also admired Zhou Hexuan's name for a long time. Not to mention broadcasting, last year Zhou Hexuan transported several ships of grain to Tianjin and sent them to major disaster areas in the north. That caused a stir.
There was a huge sensation, and everyone said that Mr. Zhou was a living Bodhisattva.
"It's worth it this time, Mr. Zhou will do the broadcasting himself!"
"He is a great scholar and a big shot, yet he comes to make trouble for us."
"Mr. Zhou is a kind man. I heard from relatives in Shandong that someone there has already set up a memorial tablet for Mr. Zhou."
"Blind Liu, a fortune teller at the alley, said that Mr. Zhou is the reincarnation of Wenquxing, which is amazing!"
"My nephew is still studying in Mr. Zhou's Hope Primary School. He eats rough-faced steamed buns for lunch every day. Not only has the boy grown stronger, he is also very knowledgeable. He can recognize the words in the newspaper."
"..."
Just listen to Zhou Hexuan's voice continue to come from the radio: "Since January, the topic that Tianjin people are most concerned about is undoubtedly the increase in tram prices. Today we specially invited several guests, Ph.D. from Harvard University, Tsinghua Law School
Chairman Mr. Chen Daisun, welcome Dr. Chen to China Radio as a guest!"
Chen Daisun said: "Hello everyone, I am Chen Daisun."
Zhou Hexuan added: "There is also Mr. Tao Menghe, a Ph.D. from the University of London in the United Kingdom and an internationally renowned sociologist. Welcome Mr. Tao."
Tao Menghe smiled and said: "Hello, listeners, I am Tao Menghe."
Zhou Hexuan continued: "The last one is Mr. Zhang Xiruo, a master's degree from Columbia University and professor of the Department of Political Science at Tsinghua University. Hello, Mr. Zhang!"
Zhang Xiruo said: "Hello Mr. Zhou, hello everyone, I am Zhang Xiruo."
After the introduction of the three guests, both ordinary people and white-collar middle class people were in awe of this program. They are all doctors and masters from well-known Western universities. It is rare to see them in normal times. It is a blessing to listen to them chatting.
Zhou Hexuan started to talk about the topic: "Professor Zhang, what do you think of the Tianjin tram price increase controversy?"
Zhang Xiruo said: "This price increase is unreasonable. I have been studying social issues in China for a long time. The economic income of ordinary people in Tianjin is completely inconsistent with the fares after the tram company raises prices. In fact, Tianjin's trams
The fare has increased several times in the past ten years, and is already 12% higher than the fare in Peking."
Zhou Hexuan asked Chen Daisun again: "The reason why Tianjin Tramway Company increased its prices this time is that it has suffered serious losses and can only maintain operations by increasing prices. Dr. Chen, you are an expert in economics, finance and finance. Can you tell me the details?
.”
Chen Daisun talked eloquently: "Tianjin Tramway Company was established in 1904, that is, 28 years ago, and the tramway was officially put into operation in 1906. The tramway company has stable annual income. It has recovered all its investment as early as 1912, and the remaining income in the past 30 years
They are all pure profits. As of last year, Tianjin Tramway and Lighting Company's gross profit was close to 4 million yuan, and it is impossible for them to lose money."
Zhou Hexuan asked: "A gross profit of 4 million yuan is a lot! Has all this money gone into the pockets of the tram company? Has it paid taxes to the Tianjin government?"
Chen Daisun explained: "The money paid by the tram and lighting company to the Tianjin Municipal Government is not called tax, but called service fee. The actual return amount last year was about 120,000 yuan. But in sharp contrast to this, when the tram passed through the concession,
A 'passage fee' needs to be paid to each concession. The 'passage fee' paid to the French Concession last year alone was as high as 740,000 yuan!"
Zhou Hexuan concluded: "In other words, the Belgians who ran a tram company in Tianjin only paid 120,000 yuan in taxes to the Tianjin Municipal Government, but paid 740,000 yuan in tolls to the French Concession?"
"Yes, that's it," Chen Daisun said. "The tolls paid by the tram company to various concessions add up to about 1.6 million yuan per year, but the reimbursement fee to the Tianjin Municipal Government is only 120,000 yuan."
Zhou Hexuan asked Zhang Xiruo: "Mr. Zhang, is this consistent with common sense?"
Zhang Xiruo was outspoken and not afraid of offending people, and said angrily: "This is completely unreasonable! Trams are public utilities, and they occupy a lot of street space. These spaces belong to all Tianjin citizens. Not only that, trams often cause injuries.
Killing people brings personal danger to people's travel. Therefore, as compensation, the tram company cannot charge excessively high fares. At the same time, it should also pay taxes to the government to improve the municipal environment and citizens' lives. This is called taking it from
People, use it for the people. Why should you open a company on Chinese land and pay a normal tax of only 120,000 yuan, but pay 1.6 million yuan in tolls to concessions in various countries? This is pure bullying!"
In the past, ordinary people only thought that the increase in tram prices was unreasonable, but they could not explain why it was unreasonable. Now, after listening to several scholars and professors explaining the truth, they instantly understood the truth behind it, and each one of them was so angry that they cursed.
"It's too embarrassing. How can it be like this?"
"Foreign devils are not human beings!"
"I will never take the tram again."
"Whoever says they won't sit down will have to sit down, and I won't pay them if they do!"
"Price increases, prices increase, prices increase every day. Since I can remember, the tram company has increased fares five times."
"..."
Just listen to Zhou Hexuan continue to say: "No wonder the consuls from various countries in Tianjin support the tram company's price increase. It turns out that they are in the same group. The more the tram company increases the price, the more income the concessions of each country will have. They are working together to bully Tianjin.
Common people.”
"Isn't it?" Zhang Xiruo said, "otherwise, why would the consuls of Japan, France and Italy rush to send diplomatic notes to the government? It's all out of self-interest."
Chen Daisun also said: "I must make one thing clear first. The contract signed between the Qing government and the tram company established the business scope of the tram company. The tram company can only operate within 6 miles with the Drum Tower as the center, and the rest
The tram sections are all illegally operated. As far as I know, the later expansion of the tram section did not receive approval from the Chinese government. It is precisely because of this that the performance fee paid by the tram company to the Tianjin Municipal Government is so small."
"Haha, it turns out it is operated illegally," Zhou Hexuan said with a smile, "I heard that the tram company did this kind of illegal thing, and this is not the only one."
Zhang Xiruo said: "Yes, because you have to buy tickets with copper coins to take the tram, this is why the tram company has become the largest copper dollar exchanger and recycler in Tianjin. Due to the large amount of copper coins hoarded, they started selling these copper coins to Japan at high prices in 1920
Mitsui and Mitsubishi Corporation smuggled arms and weapons to Japan."
Zhou Hexuan said angrily: "In other words, the guns and cannons used by the Japanese Kwantung Army to invade Northeast China were probably made of the copper coins used by the Tianjin people?"
Chen Daisun said: "It is true. The tram company's actions not only essentially supported Japan's invasion of China, but also caused a large amount of copper yuan to flow out, disrupting China's financial market. Although the Tianjin Municipal Government has repeatedly banned the export of copper yuan, the tram company and Japan
The transactions of foreign companies have not stopped, and the smuggling of copper coins has been carried out quietly."
At this point, the people in Tianjin who were listening to the radio were furious.
"It turns out that the tram company is so bad and colluded with the Japanese."
"Never take the tram in the future. Every copper dollar we invest is making guns for Japan."
"If you take the tram again, you are a traitor!"
"Let's go demolish all the tram tracks six miles away from the Drum Tower. They were built illegally and without paying taxes to the government!"
"Yes, the road belongs to everyone, so why don't we pay taxes when it is used by the tram company?"
"Down with the tram companies, down with the traitors!"
"..."
The controversy over Tianjin’s tram price increase instantly escalated to the level of national salvation.
When the commissioner sent by the Nanjing government arrived in Tianjin, he was faced with a strike across Tianjin's entire industry. Citizens and students took to the streets to demonstrate. Major newspapers wiped out the tram company's bad reputation. The old city was marked by the Drum Tower.
All the tram tracks 6 miles outside the center were removed.
This incident was historically known as the "Anti-Tram Movement to Save the Nation," or the "April 4th Patriotic Wave," or the "April 4th Tianjin Strike."