It refers to the Xiaobailou area, see below: Xiaobailou is not a big area in Tianjin, but it is not as well-known. Not only Tianjin people are familiar with it, but even outsiders know that there is one in Tianjin. It’s a small white building, and even some foreigners come here to look for their dreams of the past. Why is Xiaobailou so charming? We have to start with the formation and development of the Xiaobailou area. The origin of the Xiaobailou area: After Tianjin opened as a port in 1860, imperialist countries rushed to Tianjin to establish concessions. When Britain, France, and the United States first established concessions in Tianjin, the current Xiaobailou area was the American concession, which was bounded from the east and west by the Haihe River and Hai Avenue (today's Dagu Road), from the current Kaifeng Road in the south, to the present Kaifeng Road in the north. Zhang Dedao. This small piece of land with a total area of ??about 131 acres has continued to develop and prosper over the past century, forming the Xiaobailou area that people are familiar with today. The origin of the place name Xiaobailou is that there used to be a bar on the second floor with a white exterior wall. At that time, this area did not have an official place name. The local residents took this unique white building as a symbol and called it this place by convention. One area is Xiaobailou. In 1902, the United States and Britain agreed privately to merge the American Concession into the British Concession. However, the British Concession authorities did not actually manage it, so the development was slower and the administrative management was not as strict as the British Concession. In 1901, the British businessman Xiannong Real Estate Company was established and began to build houses in the Xiaobailou area. First, it built the entire Xiannong Lane. After World War I, it purchased 10 similar small buildings in the south of Xuzhou Road; in the early 1920s, He bought the small market built by Zheng Yizhi, the comprador of Taikoo Mathematics, and renovated a bungalow east of Xiannongli on today's Dagu Road and south of today's Kaifeng Road into reinforced concrete pavements and three- or four-story buildings. In the mid-1920s, five relatively luxurious apartment buildings were built at the west entrance of today's Kaifeng Road for foreigners to live only. Xiannong Company continues to build houses in the Xiaobailou area, with large areas and strategic locations. It also renovates the houses facing the road into new style store fronts. This pattern objectively provides conditions for the prosperity of this area. . With the development of the British and French Concessions, and the fact that the Xiaobailou area is adjacent to the Haihe River in the east, there are shipping terminals of Swire Pacific, Jardine Matheson and other foreign companies and China Merchants Group, and it is also adjacent to the British Concession Middle Street (now Jiefang North Road), which is the center of finance and trade. Therefore, over time, gold selling caves have naturally formed in this area, serving foreigners, bureaucrats, compradors, and down-and-out politicians and warlords. There are many restaurants, bars, and dance halls here, as well as barbering, beauty, suit tailoring and other industries. There are also shops specializing in imported cosmetics, clothing, shoes and hats, canned foreign wine, Western pastries, and candies, all of which are famous for their high-end and fashion. It was under such a background that Xiaobailou gradually developed and prospered. A place for foreign soldiers to seek pleasure. Since the opening of the Nine-Nation Concession in Tianjin, armies from various countries have come here one after another on the grounds of protecting the interests of their own expatriates. These military officers and soldiers were looking for fun everywhere, especially the American barracks located to the west of the Qiangzi River in Xiaoyumen (today’s former site of the Second Medical College on Guangdong Road). Therefore, various businesses serving the soldiers quickly appeared in the Xiaobailou area. Places, bars, dance halls, brothels, etc. are all available. So, led by American officers and soldiers, soldiers from Britain, France, Italy, Germany and other countries also used the Xiaobailou area as a place for them to hang out and have fun. As soldiers from all over the world drank and had fun, and left after being ecstatic, people who were addicted to profit regarded the Xiaobailou area as a place to make money, and shops of different sizes and industries came into being, which promoted the rapid prosperity of this area. Every night, the area around Xiaobailou is bustling with lights and entertainment. Rather than being prosperous, this scene is a major public nuisance to the local society. This is also a portrayal of the abnormal development of China's semi-colonial society at that time. From the late 1920s to the mid-1930s, the Xiaobailou area was at its peak of prosperity. Although it fell after the Japanese invasion, the prosperity of Xiaobailou has not diminished since a large number of Belarusians settled here. After Japan surrendered in 1945, a large number of U.S. Marines flooded into Tianjin. Prostitution in the once-dark Xiaobailou area not only revived, but also turned from dark to bright. Bars and dance halls also emerged in response to the situation, making the Xiaobailou area prosperous. Reached its peak again. "Russian Town" From the early 1920s to the late 1940s, the Xiaobailou area was known as the "Russian Town", a saying that was widely spread, especially among foreign expatriates. The reason why the Xiaobailou area is called "Russian Town" is because after the October Revolution in the Soviet Union in 1917, Russian expatriates in Tianjin concentrated in the western half of the two roads of Kaifeng Road and Xuzhou Road, as well as the Special District 1 ( Yiqingli and Runanli areas of the Old German Concession).
Russian expatriates have opened Russian hotels, Russian shops, Russian food stores, small restaurants, bars, clothing stores, beauty shops and other large and small shops here. There are Russian signboards of different colors and forms hanging in front of these shops. Russians, men, women, and children with blue eyes, yellow hair, and white skin can be seen everywhere. They come and go every day, greeting each other, and some sit in groups in twos and threes and chat in a corner. Russian women were sewing and knitting, children were playing in the alley, and old men and wives were sunbathing on crutches. This kind of scene makes people feel like they are in a certain city in Russia, so it makes sense for foreign expatriates to call it "Russian City". Most of the Belarusians who came to Tianjin at that time were from the Northeast. They entered the customs through Vladivostok and Lushun; some also came from Xinjiang. The reason why they fled to Tianjin was that, firstly, there was a Russian concession in Tianjin; secondly, there were original Russian expatriates in Tianjin who had certain economic conditions, such as Titvinov, who opened Sa Baoshi Foreign Company, and Batuev, a Belarusian nobleman who opened Fuchang Foreign Company. wait. At that time, the British provided convenience to the Russians in their residence and life. Russian children can attend British public schools and St. Louis schools. Anyone who knows a little bit of English can come. Major foreign banks or import and export companies arrange appropriate jobs, and although the salary is not as good as that of the British, it is much higher than that of the Chinese. At that time, Biddes, the chairman of the British Industry Bureau, was the leading official gentry in the British Concession. His wife was Russian, so many Belarusians entered various institutions and found jobs through Biddes. Some Chinese (including British) want Russian wives for less money. The British Concession Industrial Bureau Police Department also added a Russian as the Inspector General. In this way, the Xiaobailou area formed a Belarusian gathering society. The prosperity of the Xiaobailou area has been Europeanized from the beginning. After a large number of White Russians settled in the area in the 1920s, it became even more Eastern European. For example, the "snack" in Western food called "Tokoski" is unique to Russians. Before the Russians came, Western dishes were very simple. Later, the restaurants opened by the Russians served snacks and were very popular. For example, the Yishun Hop Restaurant run by the Russian Jew Pulisi, and the small Tianjin Restaurant, provide six or seven snacks for each meal, sometimes not counting the money, and not included in the main meal, to entertain the guests. The "Sailboat" brand of Russian Russian shochu made by the Russian Capus and the "No. 50" Russian red wine made by Andreev are both popular in the Xiaobailou area. Another example is sweet bread stuffed with ham sausage , the Belarusian old man walked through the streets carrying a basket, shouting "Buy bread" in Chinese with a Russian accent. There are many Russian-style food stores opened by Russians in the Xiaobailou area, such as "Moscow sausage". , "spicy sausage", "liver sausage", etc. are all Russian flavors. Russian living habits also have a certain influence on the Chinese people living in the Xiaobailou area. In terms of entertainment, the largest gathering point is the Judas Guild. Called the Jewish Club (today's Mass Art Museum), most of the members here are Russian Jews, and the president is Rachkovsky. There are all kinds of gambling equipment. White Russians gamble in groups all day long, and at night. There are all-night dances. There is also an opera school run by Miss Dobelinina, which teaches ballet, Russian opera, piano and singing. There is a modern dance school on Xuzhou Road, which specializes in ballroom dancing. The teacher is Bogovanova. There was Mrs. Sando, who once held a personal exhibition at the Palace Hotel. There was a doctor, Sviridoff, who practiced medicine at his residence on Xuzhou Road. The Savit Hotel was opened by Buffman, a Russian Jew. In addition to Russian tourists staying here, there were often Chinese people bringing prostitutes or socialites to make temporary rooms. In addition, there are four or five barber shops and beauty salons, among which the one in Kaplitskagi is the largest. Most of the employees are Belarusian women, including makeup artists, manicurists, barbers, and perms. wait. In addition to officially operating in the hotel, they also undertook work for large hotels and restaurants, such as Lishunde, Tailai, Huangguan Hotel, etc.) In addition, there were a large number of restaurants. In the early 1940s, Yishun Hop Restaurant was built on the original site. A large restaurant with a four-story building, named Vigdoli, was jointly run by the Russian Jew Presi and the Chinese Qi Rushan and Hao Rujiu. The restaurant was large in scale and magnificently equipped. At that time, it could be called the only large-scale restaurant in the Xiaobailou area and even in Tianjin. western restaurant. There is also a Russian jurist, Shalebrin, who opened a law firm that specializes in handling litigation matters for Belarus. These circumstances are enough to show that the life of the White Russians in the Xiaobailou area involves all aspects, thus forming their own small world, which objectively promotes the prosperity of this area.
Business in Xiaobailou The earliest bustling street in the Xiaobailou area was the Zhujia Hutong area on Hai Avenue (today's Dagu Road). There are many small shops run by Chinese here, and their customers are almost half Chinese and half foreign." Therefore, people in social stores must be able to use some business English; the goods and processing services sold must also be suitable for Western habits and flavors. At that time, Xiaobai Stores specializing in canned foreign wine and daily necessities in the area include Yuenyong, Xiangtaiyi, Fuxingtai, Dachanghe, etc. Among them, Yuenyong has been operating for a longer period of time and sells a larger range of products. The goods are expensive but suitable for the needs of Westerners and high-end Chinese. It was originally located at the south end of Middle Street in the British Concession. Due to its booming business, it later opened a branch next to Xiaoying Market on Hai Avenue, which is regarded as the best branch among Xiaobailou Chinese stores. There is a unique small shop Tianxiangshi opposite. The manager Cao Tianyou is a Shanghainese. This shop is famous in Xiaobailou for selling needles and threads (small department stores). In the past, the products sold by Tianxiangshi were wooden suitcases and bags. Only the hawkers with hand-operated drums sell it in the alleys, but it is rare for a shop owner to sell needlework. Axis. There are many tailors in the Xiaobailou area who make Chinese and Western clothing. To make good clothes, you must use good needles and threads. Therefore, most tailors in Tianjin go to Tianxiangshi to buy needlework. Tianxiangshi has been in business for nearly 40 years before liberation. Among the first-class technicians who made suits, military uniforms and uniforms were He Qingchang from Xiaobailou Jiangxiali and Wang Aming from the French Concession. He Qingchang made suits with exquisite craftsmanship, which was completely in line with the British gentleman style and the fit was elegant. The patrol uniforms of the ministry and bureaus are all made by He Bao, so he has a close relationship with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau. Whenever he goes out on the street on a monthly bus, the British patrol officers will salute to show their respect when they see him. There are several silk and satin shops on Hai Avenue, such as Huazhu Branch. , Yuanlong Branch, China Tongchang Silk and Satin Company, Yichangxiang Silk and Satin Store, etc. Yichangxiang opened in 1927. The manager Liu Jiesan is an expert in the silk cloth industry. He operates silk cloth according to the characteristics of Xiaobailou area, such as Belarus. Women like to wear large plaid and floral silk fabrics, so he buys this kind of goods. Although they are not high-end goods, they are very popular. He worked until liberation. Others, such as Huazhu and Yuanlong, closed down due to poor business in the early 1930s. There were also many hawking shops in the Xiaobailou area, on the east and west sides of Hai Avenue from Xuzhou Road to Zhenjiang Road. Yes. This industry is a cost-free business, but generally it cannot be done by honest people. Only those who are powerful in the local area can operate it. Even foreigners who do this business are foreign gangsters. They are very knowledgeable and well-informed. , they knew exactly which business went bankrupt and repaid their debts, and which wealthy prodigal went bankrupt. Some people even stole valuable items from their homes and sold them in hawking shops. These hawking shops were responsible for handling them and earning kickbacks. When there are valuable items, they buy them at low prices. The largest auction house in Xiaobailou is "Kui Chang". The oldest cinema in Xiaobailou is Ping'an Cinema (today's Concert Hall), which was built in 1922. The manager is Ying. Lugen, an Indian from Bali and a British-Chinese, was a Cantonese and was the first to operate a cinema in China. Guanglu Cinema (today's Beijing Cinema) was run by Kulayev, a Belarusian, and later there were others. Chinese Li Bingyuan (representative of Universal Pictures in Zimbabwe) joined. They not only operated movies, but also opened a Santa Ana dance hall in the front building. Most of the dancers in this dance hall were White Russian girls. There is also a small club dance hall on the north side of Guanglu. The manager of this dance hall is surnamed Liu, who is the owner of Baocheng Cotton Factory. He also opened a social canteen (the former site of Chongqing Barber Shop). The Grand Guangming Cinema was first established by the Chinese Wei Yaoqing, and later sold to the British Indian Tai Lai Ti. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it was transferred to the owner of Quanye Gao Bohai. This cinema was so large that there were often two Indian soldiers guarding the door. Among the restaurants in Xiaobailou, in addition to the large and small Western restaurants and bars mentioned above, there are also several Chinese restaurants that are very famous and can make dishes that people like to eat. Hongfulou Restaurant is located east of the Xuzhou intersection of today's Dago Middle Road. It is a pure Tianjin-style restaurant. Its famous dishes include eight large bowls, five bowls and four plates. There is a Bailou restaurant diagonally across from Xiaoying Market on Haidao Avenue. The operator ingeniously invented a dish called "Bailou cuisine", which is nothing more than shrimps, eggs, meat and the like stir-fried together. People ate it very well. It tasted good, so it became a bestseller. The Seweisi Restaurant is located at the west end of today's Xuzhou Road and is famous for its Cantonese flavor. It is run by two sisters from Guangzhou. It attracts American soldiers and dancers and prostitutes come and go from the Seweisi, which makes the business of this small restaurant very prosperous.
Mrs. Xia's Restaurant is located on today's Zhengzhou Road by the Qiangzi River in Xiaoyingmen. It is a Russian-style Western restaurant. Mrs. Xia is from the Northeast and speaks fluent Russian. She specializes in Russian cuisine. In the mid-1930s, she ran a Western restaurant in the basement of her home on Zhengzhou Road. Most of her customers were middle- and upper-class officials and business figures. Today, south of Xuzhou Road, west of Dagu Road, and east of Dayingmen Qiangzi River, is a large triangle area, which is commonly known as the "triangle area". The properties on the Dagu Road side here are all owned by the Chongde Church of the Catholic Church. Chongdetang built a large shopping mall here, which attracted various food and drink stalls, golf players, gambling and other nondescript vendors. Later there were circus performances and American troops lived there. The church didn't know how to do business and never did well. In 1932, the manager of Huaqing Pool in the French Concession took over the shopping mall and turned it into a bathhouse, naming it "Tianxiang Pool". After operating for three years, due to loss of money, it was transferred to Fuxianchi, surnamed Li, in the Japanese Concession. Li shrewdly renovated the place and set up private rooms on the third floor to accommodate so-called "double basins" for men and women to wash together. This greatly boosted business. There is a medium-sized bathhouse on Qufu Road (formerly Da Zhujia Hutong). When it was first opened, it was named Xudong Bathhouse. Because the business was not strong, it was later taken over by the Yu Enyong family and renamed Haiquan Pool. The bathhouse is small and suitable for the general public. Workers from Taikoo, Yihe and even Dalian docks are regular visitors here. On Hai Avenue in the center of Xiaobailou, there is a sauce butcher shop that is comparable to the Belarusian ham and sausage shop, called Tianyushun Sauce Products Branch. The head office is located on the south side of the British Golf Club (now the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress) on Middle Street in the British Concession. It is a joint venture of three foreign chefs. They are Gao Tianxi, Zhang Yushan, and Cai Qishun, each named Tian Yushun with one character of their names. The sauces in this shop are delicious and delicious, and people from home and abroad come from far and wide to buy them. They are considered to be the best sauces. In the 1930s, a branch was set up in Xiaobailou to carry out business. In order to carry out business, the Bank of China and the Bank of Communications set up branches on Haida Road. Zhao Pinqing, a banker in the banking industry, set up the Enqingyong Bank, the only bank in the British Concession, at the corner of Tonghai Avenue in Zhujia Huley, which facilitated deposits and borrowings for the industrial and commercial businesses in the Xiaobailou area.