Author | Azhen
Edit | Yan Fei
Title | Yiwei Bookstore
Yulin area, an inch texture of old Chengdu
In the middle of June, Chengdu was wrapped in water vapor brought by several intermittent drizzle. It was clearly the beginning of summer, but it was slightly cool. In the cold wind and drizzle, Wang Hai and I set up a small table outside the shop on the street of Yujie Lane in Yulin, and we talked from morning to noon.
On the World Reading Day on April 23, Wang Hai, together with two well-known scholars - Wang Di and Zhang Longxi, held a street talk at the same location called "Down the Mountain Talk". (Picture/screenshot of small red book)
Street is one of the earliest public spaces in Chengdu. The houses along the street are called "shops". In the early days, the first floor was used as shops and the second floor was used as homes. Children living in shops "mix" in the street when they are young. The word "Jiewa" (pronounced "Gai") was born to describe those children who grew up at the bottom of the society.
Wang Hai calls himself an "old street child": "I just mixed up in the shops of Huaxing Street." The street is a "territory" that Wang Hai is familiar with. Without prior knowledge, it is difficult to associate the old man who is sitting at random on the street, wearing green round glasses, and wearing a long sleeved white T-shirt, with the identity of an artist and designer.
The weather was a bit cold, so Wang Hai hurried back to his residence to get a coat. "It's more like an old man selling rice in this way.". (Photo by A Zhen)
After being admitted to the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, Wang Hai met He Duoling, Zhai Yongming, Tang Lei and others. "When we opened our shop in the daytime, I also advised them (Tang Lei, Zhai Yongming and others).". As a result, he became attached to Yulin and became one of the first young people to organize and participate in public life in Yulin.
From 1993 to 2023, Wang Hai witnessed the development of Yulin District for 30 years, and the white night born in the laughter and abuse of young people has become the spiritual totem of Chengdu's public life. Wang Hai, who had traveled to Hong Kong for his career, finally chose to return to Yulin and began to build a "business empire" on the street in Yujie Lane - working on the street, selling philosophy books, coffee and rice.
Wang Haikai's Sanlian Think Tank in Yujie Lane only sells philosophy books and Reading magazine. People who do not buy books can spend 28 yuan in the store to work and read. (Photo by A Zhen)
In his opinion, today's Yulin is like a natural and lush "field". There are many spaces on the street for young people to discuss public issues and enjoy public life. There are also community barber shops that can get satisfactory hair styles for only a few tens of yuan, mahjong parlors, massage shops... These are the perfect manifestations of the brutal growth of Yulin over the years.
The youth culture space "BUSHES" located at No. 2, Yulin West Road is a great work brought to Yulin by Wang Hai. When naming the space, he skillfully buried the hidden line about the "life experience" of Yulin.
Before becoming the "Left Bank" of Chengdu, Yulin was a vast expanse of wilderness. Zhai Yongming recalled in his book "Taking the White Night as the Coordinate" that in 1994, Yulin was still a few streets with endless green fields.
"Bushes" is translated as "shrubs". Wang Hai refers to the wooden fences planted by farmers on both sides of the ridges and canals to prevent water and soil loss, so "bushes" corresponds to the former name of Yulin, "Yulin Dam".
"BUSHES" is transformed from an old dormitory for employees of the power supply bureau, which not only retains the "old" of Yulin, but also displays the "new" of Yulin in content. (Picture/screenshot of small red book)
When Chengdu people talk about "Yulin", they often call it by its name, "go to Yulin to play", "Yulin people", "Yulin shops"... The uniqueness of Yulin is that it is not an independent urban area, nor one of the small communities, but a district "encircled" by several streets.
From the perspective of administrative division, it belongs to Wuhou District and High tech Zone, which is directly reflected in the exterior of Yulin West Road and Yulin East Road. Although they are all built by the government, they show two different styles. From the perspective of regional division, Yulin is located on the west side of the city's central axis, between the first ring road and the second ring road, with the fourth section of Renmin South Road and Gaoxin Avenue on the east and west respectively.
The general scope and densely distributed public space of Yulin. (Picture/navigation screenshot)
Walking into Yulin is like walking into a low bush. Wang Hai explained that Yulin is a piece of old Chengdu texture that has been directly "translated".
In the process of Chengdu's urbanization, state-owned enterprises and factories moved out of the crowded city center and copied the original community planning 1:1 in this wilderness.
From small community shops such as mahjong parlors and massage parlors to streets and alleys, they are almost the same as the original layout.
In the era when cars can also be called "luxury goods", road planning mainly considers the driving of pedestrians and non motor vehicles. Only a few main roads in Yulin are two-way four lane roads. In addition, many cross streets, oblique streets and alleys crisscross, forming a regional map that is easy to get lost.
When Wang Hai worked in Hong Kong, he returned to Chengdu from time to time to live in Chengdu and borrowed from his friend's brother-in-law in the aviation unit dormitory in Yulin. Today, the aviation dormitory has long been hidden in a large number of old houses, but it is the source of the names of roads related to the sky, such as Baiyun Street and Rainbow Street.
On both sides of the road in old Chengdu, these public spaces with various meanings are gradually explored. Most of them live next to the community stores and are mixed together. This natural diversity is where the vitality of the city lies.
From the literary enclave to the eternal Left Bank
When chatting with Wang Hai, the topic is always about books and philosophy. In addition to the coffee in the shop, he used to entertain me with philosophy books and the whole year of 1979's "Reading" magazine (founded in 1979).
The Sanlian Think Tank run by Wang Hai only sells philosophy books and "Reading" magazines. Following the ideological history of the 20th century, he carefully selected 500 philosophy books to provide different perspectives from Western philosophers for the core issue - "modernity crisis".
In addition to books, there are more than 200000 words written by Wang Hai to guide reading. He believes that reading guidance is very important for readers. In the guide reading, he used 25 questions to help readers build a bridge with obscure western philosophy.
On the shelf of Haidian Bookstore, philosophy books are densely placed. (Photo by A Zhen)
Wang Hai tried to build a spiritual fortress full of philosophical thoughts on the street, bring the issue of "the battle between the ancient and the modern" to the life of ordinary people, and find the key that can help modern youth solve their difficulties in the vast sea of philosophy.
When the bookstore opened, Wang Hai set a threshold of 28 yuan for "entering the door to study". As long as you scan the code to pay, you can enter the bookstore to read all the books in the store.
The purpose of payment is not to make profits, but to screen audiences. Spending money on reading can make readers feel extremely grateful, and can also shield some noisy interruptions. "Anyone who can pay 28 yuan to go to school is worthy of respect. I think my bookstore is open to people who really need it."
Wang Hai started an innovative attempt to pay for reading and working on the street by using a small store. (Photo by A Zhen)
In the era of hard survival of independent bookstores, the bookstore in Yulin has become an important fulcrum of public life. Wang Hai believes that different groups need different public spaces, and the public space should gradually move towards the subdivision field. This has begun to take shape in the division of labor among many bookstores in Yulin.
At the beginning of June, when I went to Yulin, Yiwei Bookstore was still closed for decoration. In August, soon after Yiwei Bookstore reopened, a new series of activities - "Flowing Feast" began. The first phase of the activity is scheduled to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, with two consecutive events. Just one month later, the 21st "Flowing Feast" has been held.
After the redecoration of Yiwei Bookstore, what remains unchanged is the four characters of "spiritual massage" in the store. (Picture/Little Red Book @ Yiwei Bookstore)
When I returned to Chengdu on the National Day, two new bookstores were born in Yulin, one was a feminist bookstore - Fangcun Bookstore, and the other was a retroactive collection of second-hand books.
The square inch bookstore is located between the mahjong parlor and the coffee shop. In the shop of less than 15 square meters, the bookshelves on both sides of the wall are full of books on women's topics and women's themes selected by the shopkeeper.
On the wall is a gift message from the shopkeeper to all readers - "If there is no sample book, you can open it. It's OK not to buy it. What's important is that you find it." Many books are affectionately attached with recommendations such as "entry-level works". Here, it's OK to know only about Ueno Qianhezi.
A reader leaned against the wall of the bookstore and read books carefully. At the door of the Fangcun Bookstore is the signature bakery of Chengdu's old brand bakery. The two originally unrelated stores merge into one in this unique form. (Photo by A Zhen)
It is worth mentioning that the space available for discussing public topics in Yulin area is not limited to small shops and exhibition halls facing the street, but also many private houses hidden in the community. These small and beautiful spaces provide a private and open place for more fans in specific fields to speak freely.
Two girls who moved to Chengdu from Inner Mongolia rented a house with a small courtyard in Yulin. Because the room was a little larger, they decided to make the living room a public space for women's gathering, and one bedroom was used as a home stay for women only.
They will occasionally publish "room" open day activities on social media. Since May, eight events have been held. The themes of these activities often revolve around women's life, such as "we should discuss menstruation generously", "the neglected 'misogyny' plot in films and TV plays", etc.
On the social platform, one of the girls recorded many stereotypes about women's gatherings: "When girls get together, they only talk gossip", "One girl can hold a hundred ducks and make noise"... But it has been proved that girls can discuss more public issues and provide more care to each other.
This reminds me that one winter a year or two ago, my mother and I passed the museum bar in Yulin. At that time, we all didn't know what business we were doing here, but we saw several young women sitting together, one of whom seemed to be explaining something about sex life.
Tian Zuoyi, the manager of the museum bar on Fanghua Street, told me that she wanted to run a gender friendly bar, where everyone could be treated kindly. (Photo by A Zhen)
Words such as "sex", "vagina" and "condom" are introduced into the sun at a moderate volume. Those seemingly shameful contents are as common as oranges in their hands. It's no big deal to talk about sex on the street.
When I was about to pull my mother to walk quickly, she stopped before me, stood outside with several other passers-by, and listened carefully. Before leaving, she also held up her mobile phone and took a picture of the door carefully.
I asked her, "How is it? How does it feel?"
"I didn't hear anything in my 20s, but I heard it at the roadside in my 50s."
15 square meters is the size of Haidian, and it is also the size of many public spaces in Yulin. This is a relatively stable area for many experimenters who come here to operate various spaces. As Wang Hai said: "If you lose money, you can afford to pay."
At the same time, the space scale of 15 square meters contains an infinite time scale. Many future changes are quietly emerging in these public spaces.
Find opportunities to be listened to in Yulin
Before returning to Yulin, I was ready to devote myself to various activities. Rao was so shocked by the rich public life in Yulin when he really began to collect information about activities.
I thought there were few activities on weekdays, but in Yulin, there are many activities to choose from almost every day. As long as you are willing, you can participate in the discussion of a topic or other activities at any time.
On Thursday evening, I came to Yelishu Bookstore recommended by Tian Zuoyi. Today there is a gender friendly theme sharing meeting called "post-90s". This is a completely open activity, without any threshold and restrictions, listen as you go.
There are two "post 90s" sharing sessions, one on Wednesday and the other on Thursday. Before the event, the store was empty, and the host, Brother Feng, sat outside the store. (Photo by A Zhen)
After the formal start of the sharing meeting, there are still some people joining.
Some of the participants were familiar guests of Yelishu, and yesterday's sharing meeting was also present. In addition, there are many strangers like me who have set foot in the bookstore for the first time. Many of them did not know that there would be a sharing meeting here tonight. Several aunts who were studying at Sichuan University and walked by listened to the store for more than ten minutes, asked many questions, and left in a hurry because of something.
During the sharing process, Jiaozi distributed some promotional cards for everyone to pass around. These pieces of paper are usually kept in her female friendly space. (Photo by A Zhen)
After sharing the experience of his family's opening a second-hand bookstore when he was a child and now taking over the business of second-hand books, the sharer Jiaozi changed the subject and discussed some basic gender issues with everyone.
Su Nan, the keynote speaker of the last event, also joined today's sharing meeting. She sat on the bar chair by the window and occasionally made some academic explanations and supplements to the sharing of dumplings.
In the process of sharing, the door of the bookstore was open, and some people quietly left, and some people crept into the store to find a vacant seat to sit down. Some people actively interacted with the sharer, and some people held a brew glass and bowed their heads in meditation. In this small street space, people are mobile, language is mobile, and ideas are mobile.
At nine o'clock in the evening, I took this picture from the opposite side of the street when I left Yelishu. People coming and going were not clear. There was such a warm world hidden in the shop. (Photo by A Zhen)
At two o'clock on Friday afternoon, the bar of "Wild Poetry Brewing" in Yujie Lane was full of players who came to participate in the detective game. The information released by the organizers before the event showed that the scene of the participants' exploring and solving mysteries was this short lane.
This is a paid activity jointly planned by several local organizations in Yulin. Different from the sharing meeting held by Yelishu Bookstore, you need to register in advance to participate in this activity. You can participate in the game only after being screened by the host. The poster is printed with the theme of this activity "Youth and old communities: invasion and integration".
Activity posters posted in the store. The office of one of the initiators, "Chengzhan", is on the side of Rainbow Lane in Yulin. (Photo by A Zhen)
Those who participated in the activity included teachers of Olympic mathematics, college students, staff of the exhibition hall, and retired migrant workers who lived nearby... We walked along the street according to the instructions of the game, sometimes pulling the shopkeeper to ask questions. Most of the clues to solving puzzles are hidden in the small shop in Yujie Lane. Some are related to the shop signboards and menus, while others need to be obtained through interaction with the shop staff.
Although most shopkeepers don't know what the purpose of these nervous young people running around in groups on the street is, many people are willing to help. Others simply put down their work and thought about solutions with the players.
Hazelnut, the brand leader of "Zhentan", which provides content planning, hopes that through games, everyone can get the opportunity to contact and communicate with local people, and generate their own understanding of the theme "youth and old community" from the dialogue. The game tries to let everyone integrate into the street, not only as a tourist who punches and takes photos, but also as a member of the community that intersects with local businesses.
Open the perspective of onlookers, you will see a group of young people pondering over the menu of the marinade shop, coffee shop and barbecue shop. (Photo by A Zhen)
After the activity, many participants were not in a hurry to leave. Hazelnut and two or three friends, I just sat at the gate of the field and talked.
One of the young girls told us that Chengdu was just one of the destinations for her and her mother to travel. When she happened to see the posters posted in the shop, she applied to participate in this old community observation activity. In her city, there is a large area of old city similar to Yulin, but there is no such activity.
Until the lights came on and the rain poured down, the Japanese food store next to the field was fragrant, and we moved to the Bobo Chicken Store at the entrance of Yujie Lane. At the dinner table, another young girl, Jia Jia, in the gap, asked us: How to face the nihility of life?
More and more young people are distressed by the coexistence of busyness and nothingness in their lives, such as the social life kidnapped by the Internet and the workplace that is difficult to communicate. The Internet broadens communication channels, but also blurs the real identity; You can tell and vent at any time and anywhere, but there is no real sense of being listened to... All these have formed a strong contradiction.
In the activities in Yulin, although all people are strangers, they can communicate freely on an equal and face-to-face basis. The picture shows Xu Bing, a famous artist, giving a lecture in the white night in June. (Photo/Supervisor)
Even in Chengdu, which is famous for its "strong life attributes", the real life of many young people is still separated from the impression of the city.
On both sides of the 3rd and 5th streets from Tianfu Avenue to the south, there are many high-rise buildings, and many office buildings are still lit up in the early morning. The life of migrant workers here is not very different from that of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Hazelnut once saw a boy who rushed to Yulin to participate in an activity with a computer after working overtime. At the end of the activity, there was only the last bus left on the subway, but the boys were sitting in the same place and unwilling to leave. "He told me in tears that after working in Chengdu for so long, he finally found the feeling of life."
"It is not a character without emotion, but a true listening and being listened to."
Public space, not just a few people's living room
When attending the activity, I met many young people who came to "learn from", including students from the Academy of Fine Arts and research groups from nearby universities. Young students come here hoping to find some reference model for the development of aging communities.
Is Yulin the textbook for the transformation of old communities and the blueprint for the ideal public life? Many people in New Yulin come from the first tier cities such as Shanghai and Beijing and move into the winding alleys in Yulin. As a result, the fashionable activities and the fireworks in the old city form a new impression of Yulin.
More than one person who moved into the old community told me that they didn't want the original ecology of the block to be changed, which was the source of their attraction.
When Haini and Zhang Shen passed the cultural space in Yijie Alley, they were attracted by the tall privet trees and the shadows on the ground, so they decided to move to Yulin from Shanghai. (Photo by A Zhen)
When we answer the question "What does Yulin mean to young visitors", we might as well turn around and see what impact the growing public space will have on local residents who have lived here for a long time and their local life?
Just as the Japanese scholar Mashang Zhengzun raised the question in the book "Renewal and Regeneration of Public Space": does the public space around us really reflect the concept of "public"? Is it an environment that can make everyone happy and open themselves to it?
When I was five or six years old, I lived with my parents in Shaiyan Community behind the tavern for a period of time. When we go out for a walk in the evening, we will pass the tavern and the white night in turn. My mother called these places as "the territory of literary and artistic youth".
Laobaiye, located on Yulin West Road. The same street as it is the pub in Zhao Leige, which was once the most popular bar street in Chengdu. (Picture/provided by respondents)
During the interview in Yulin, I asked my parents by the way whether they had participated in the rich and lively public life described in the book "Taking the White Night as the Coordinate" when our family was still crowded in the narrow old house of Shayan. Not surprisingly, they got a negative answer.
"It has nothing to do with ordinary people, but it is an activity in the circle at first sight." They were curious about the world behind the door, but still firmly believe that those spaces belong to the gathering place of a small group of people. In those days, there seemed to be an insurmountable gap between cultural space and market life.
The White Night Flower God Poetry Space at 28 Fanghua Street often has new exhibitions and sharing meetings. (Photo by A Zhen)
This short dialogue between my parents and I was told to Tan Jing intact.
Tan Jing is one of the principals of the White Night Flower God Poetry Space. When I talked and competed, the symphony of mahjong and chess surrounded me. This is also a rare scene for many young people who come to explore Yulin. Online celebrities who punched in and took photos and cozy old Chengdu residents gathered in the courtyard in front of the White Night Flower God Poetry Space.
In 2021, when the white night returns to Yulin, a small building in Beilei Community becomes a new stronghold.
This two-story building was once used as a community office and a dormitory for urban management. The open space outside the building is the public space for all community residents.
Directly opposite the white night, there is a teahouse that has been open for a long time. From morning to night, residents gather in the teahouse to drink tea and play mahjong. There are several stone chess tables in the side pavilion, which is the residence of the Yulin Beilei Community Chess Association.
When rebuilding the small building in the white night, I helped the chess team repair the site by the way. In this way, no matter the weather is good or bad, the chess team composed of the elderly in the community can go out for training. (Photo by A Zhen)
Since its birth, the academic and artistic attributes of White Night need no more elaboration. And how to enhance its public attribute is the question that Tan Jing has been thinking about since the opening of Huashen Poetry Space. "The existence of public space, from the universal level, must have a certain social value, otherwise it is just a house."
For example, Tan Jing, who has been in charge of the operation of public space in Yulin for a long time, believes that the happiness and harmony shown in Yulin stems from the long-term social indifference between local residents and outsiders. This is also the unique feature of Yulin and even Chengdu. People always have a natural tolerance for new things, and even if they do not understand, they will not give directions at will.
On this basis, in recent years, communities and spaces have begun to try to integrate.
In addition to maintaining the regular exhibitions and activities that have always been in line with the style of white night, white night has also planned many activities to connect young people and residents, such as green plant market, children's poetry wall, children's painting lectures, weekend screening, etc. Some interesting activities will be publicized by the community staff, and the residents will also tell each other.
After the end of the Green Plant Market, many residents came to buy discounted flowers and plants, which were sold at 8 o'clock in the evening. The news spread quickly and soon became short. (Photo/Far Light)
When did you feel that the white night was breaking the barriers with the community?
"One day, I was sitting in the yard when an aunt passed by with her bicycle in a hurry. Later, she returned to me and handed me a notice about looking for a dog. It turned out that the dog raised by the residents of their community was lost, and everyone went out to look for it for several times without success. She asked me if I had seen the dog and could you help keep an eye on it?" Tan Jing told me.
For the aunts in the community, they may never step into the night, spend tens of dollars to buy a cup of coffee, or participate in some sharing meetings on the high ground. But when their dog disappeared, she would feel that people in this place could help her. It may not be useful at all, but she is willing to come and contact you.
"So I think the meaning of the existence of public space is to let people connect with each other." This connection does not need to wait for a missing dog to establish. It is their daily work that creates opportunities to promote connection.
Checked by: Huang Siyun
Operation: Ono
Typesetting: Yang Fang
