天桥：北京帝都文化的重要标志

Tian Qiao—— A Significant Emblem of Beijing＇s Imperial Capital Culture

提起北京的天桥,人们往往想到的就是天桥市场、"天桥八怪"。人们印象中的天桥是摆地摊的、耍中幡的、卖杂货的、卖小吃的,是一种热热闹闹的场面,很少有人把天桥与北京帝都文化联系在一起,甚至认为天桥文化就是北京的市井民俗文化。而实际上,天桥首先是一座桥,坐落在城市中轴线上,是皇帝祭天必经之桥,与北京帝都文化紧密相连,是北京城帝都文化的一个重要标志;其次,才是天桥市场。天桥作为帝都文化的标志历经明清两朝,将近500年左右的时间,而在天桥东、西两侧形成热闹的大市场,是在清末到民国年间,距今有100年左右的时间。由此,我们在研究或宣传天桥的时候,不能只讲天桥的市井民俗文化,还要讲天桥与古代北京城鲜明的帝都文化。这种帝都文化更有利于北京历史文化名城的展示。

People cannot think of Tian Qiao in Beijing without thinking of Tian Qiao Market, or ＂Eight Strange Things in Tianqiao.＂ In the minds of ordinary people, Tian Qiao is a busy and bustling place where small merchandises are sold and specialty snacks are served. Not many people would have thought of the place in connection with the imperial and capital culture of the city. People even think that Tian Qiao culture is nothing but a kind of local folk culture of Beijing. But actually, Tian Qiao was first of all a bridge on the axis of the city, through which an emporer must walk when he wen to worship Heaven in ancient China. It is therefore an important emblem of Beijing＇ s Imperial Capital Culture; second, Tian Qiao has a huge market. Tian Qiao as a cultural emblem of the imperial capital experienced the Ming and Qing dynasties for nearly 500 years, while the busy and bustling markets on both the east and west side of Tian Qiao came largely into being toward the end of the Qing Dynasty almost 100 years ago. When study or publicize Tian Qiao, we should take it both as a local fold culture and an imperial capital culture of the city, thus better displaying the historical culture of Beijing.