In 1917, Chen Guangyuan, the warlord of Jiangxi under the command of Wu Peifu, relied on his power, bought the 23-mu underdeveloped bottomland to the Tianqiao South Street in the east, Tianqiao West Market West Street in the west, Beiwei Road to the south and Tianqiao West Market North Street in the north at low price, and rented to the actors/actresses and businessmen, regulating whoever rented the bottomland should be responsible for filling up. This area was named as “Tianqiao Fair Market,” later it developed into the most prosperous area of Tianqiao Market.

In 1918, Peng Xiukang, a businessman, built the “South Beijing Park,” the Park was uniquely designed, with artificial hill and pool, flowers and trees being arranged in it. The environment was quiet and beautiful. There were also entertainment place, shops and restaurants in it. The Park, together with the Tianqiao Market and the New World, created a triangular. After 1924, the terminal of two trolley cars from Xizhimen to Qianmen and from Dongzhimen to Qianmen was extended to Tianqiao. In 1926, the north outer wall of Xiannong Temple was removed, the clearing inside the temple was for sale. Besides the previous Xiannong Market, Huiyuan and Hua’an Department Store, Tianfeng Market and Sanjiao Market were established. In the south of Triangular Market, actors set up their stages to perform on a triangular field, some peddleries also sold products there. As more and more people came, this triangular field formed into the authentic Triangular Market.

In 1928, the Kuomintang Government moved to the south, Beijing was changed as Beiping special city. The market declined, New World Kursaal and South Beijing Park couldn’t manage through and were closed. Tianqiao Market still maintained its previous appearance. In 1931, Tianqiao suffered a big fire, which caused great losses, after half a year it was recovered. Afterwards, the Xiannong Market and the Hua’an Department Store shut out because of the battles of warlords and social turbulence. In 1934, the road from Zhengyangmen to Yongdingmen was extended, the balusters of Tianqiao were removed, the Tianqiao disappeared forever, only the name was maintained. After the Japanese invaded China in 1937, the Japanese army once stationed in Tianqiao, Tianqiao Market was forced to close down. Soon after the withdrawal of Japanese army, the market was reopened again, but only the West Market, the Triangular Market and the Fair Market. The north East Market still specialized in second-hand goods, grain and vegetable market were built up in the south.

The Fair Market became the entertainment center of the Tianqiao Market, there were several theatres named as Tianle, Xiaotaoyuan, Wanshengzhai, Xiaoxiao and Dangui, Eryou Xuankun Story Telling House established by Wang Shaoting, Chunhua Yonghe Henan Zhuizi House and Story-telling Tea House opened by Wei Chunlian, and various on-site performances.

The Cradle of Arts

Tianqiao embodied and connected with all directions. About 500-600 actors/actresses in Beijing Opera, Pingju Opera, Quyi, acrobatics and martial arts performed here. The performers wandered to Tianqiao to make a living. The tolerant Tianqiao, which contained actors and actresses nationwide, became a vast world creating spiritual foods for the great mass. Tianqiao was a cradle of folk arts, the great masters, Ms. Xin Fengxia, Mr. Hou Baolin and Mr. Bao Shanlin emerged here, their names and their arts, as part of Tianqiao culture, reverberated in the whole country.

Flower as the Matchmaker by Xin Fengxia, arts and actors

Tianqiao acrobatics include: Bar flying, fork playing, bike-riding, wrestling, balancing act on the forehead (bowl, single person, balancing person), cymbals flying, silver spear stabbing the throat, flying knife, pole climbing, foot skill, brick splitting, diabolo playing, wide sword lifting, bow drawing, catapult skill, leather belt, long narrow flag skill, sword swallowing, iron ball swallowing, knife ring and fire ring jumping, knife hill climbing, stone lock playing, hard Qigong (Head hammering, sleeping on nail board, iron chain breaking, iron bar pushing, iron bar biting, carriage running over a person, breaking stone with three fingers), drama, magic, whip skill, contortion and pole lifting. Most acrobats performed on open ground, some of them set up canopy and placed several shabby wood benches. Some of them had neither canopy nor bench, but only drew a circle on the ground, which was called as “pot drawing.” Most actors or actresses did not make up, some of them painted their faces with white powder. Neither did they care about the costumes. Collecting loose changes was the way to make money, after each performance, they collected money from audiences with a basket, the audiences could choose to give or not give to their own wills.

Editor: Feng Hui