二十世纪初的游动摊贩与中国城市社会生活——以武汉、上海为中心的考察

On the Walking Vendors and Urban Social Life in China in Early 20^(th) Century——A Study Focusing on Wuhan and Shanghai

游动摊贩是活跃在古今中外、城市乡村的一个社会群体。在近代中国城市社会,游动摊贩遭遇了新的生机与挑战。都市的胸襟确实给他们提供了谋生的机会,但即便他们练就五花八门的生存技艺,却依旧无法摆脱漂移不定的生活境遇。他们与都市居民形成了良好的互动,与市民日常生活相伴相生,成为美妙的"城市之音"。然而,其难以避免的不良习性,又成为城市社会不和谐的音符。在近代中国市政建设和城市管理浪潮中,摊贩被纳入国家强力控制范围,他们因生计问题与市容交通之悖时而与市政当局滋生冲突。尽管面对国家公权的暴力执法,大多小贩无力应对而选择忍受避让,但当生存受到威胁时,他们也会联合起来,采取激烈的抗拒行为,以维护自己的基本生存权和生活方式。冲突的结果是,市政当局回到体恤民生的政策与实践轨道上来,终归重获地方社会的秩序和安宁。

Walking vendors plays an important role in ancient and modern societies in both east and west. They met new opportunities and challenges in China in early 20^th century. The cities offered living chances to them but they could not change their uncertain fate though they made every effort. They interacted with the urban residents well and became the beautiful urban song. At the same time, walking vendors had negative characters and they often conflicted with the urban management forces for their bad impacts on the city traffic and amenity. Though they feared the urban management forces, walking vendors struggled with them strongly when their living right was threatened. But the blunt ban is not a wise measure to deal with walking vendors and the urban management forces should appeal to more mature and humanistic means because they have integrated to the cities as an indispensable part.