Regarding the blacksmith shop in Blacksmith Alley, it happened a long time ago and there is no way to verify it. But this lane is estimated to be hundreds of years old. Judging from the map from a hundred years ago, it has not changed much from today. This lane runs north-south, with a total length of about 100 meters. The south exit is Wuma Street , and the north exit is next to Yan Gongdian Lane. The alley is narrow. At the south end of the lane, Shui Mu Shi Office, Baoda Commercial Bank and residents are located at the north end of Dati Lane.
The south alley entrance of Datie Lane
The bronze statue at the entrance of Datie Lane
The original address of Baoda Commercial Bank at the north entrance of Datie Lane
Residences in Datie Lane
North entrance of Datie Lane
In the 1930s, Wenzhou's economy was booming, and merchants gathered on Wuma Street Bring, carry out large-scale construction projects, The construction was considered a high-rise building for Wenzhou at that time. In order to contract larger projects and get a share of the construction boom, local masons, carpenters, and stonemasons joined together to jointly invest and establish Shuimu Stone Company [today's construction company]. In the name of the company, he bought the residence in Datie Lane and converted it into office space for the company. In the following years, in order to solve the problem of studying for employees' children, the public office established the "Yongjia County Private Shuimushi Junior Primary School". The school has the same name as the public office, and the school building and class space are shared with the public office. This school was renamed Datiexiang Primary School in 1953.
From the perspective of the history of human development, the large scale of iron weapons should be said to be a milestone. At that time, the Han Empire relied on the advantages of iron weapons to overwhelm the Huns. That is, with sophisticated iron weapons, one Han soldier could fight three to five Huns soldiers. Therefore, with the advantage of iron weapons, the territory was expanded to a large extent. In ancient times, Wenzhou's ironmaking level did not reach the level of Longquan making swords, but it was more than enough to make civilian ironware.
It is said that the old trade should be the most difficult among the three industries: "blacksmithing, punting, and grinding tofu." The blacksmithing industry in Wenzhou City was quite developed in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. There are many blacksmith shops outside the east gate and in the Xiaonanmen area. Various iron samples are often hung inside and outside the shops. The blacksmith shops outside the east gate are mainly for shipbuilding, with anchors, axes, and chains; while the shops around Xiaonanmen are mainly for agricultural use, such as rakes, hoes, sickles, and hatchets. The city mainly sells household goods, which are relatively delicate items, such as kitchen knives, door knockers , fire tongs, and other commonly used items at home.
It is said that there was an alley next to Yan Gongdian Lane. A long time ago, there was a well-known ironmaking workshop in southern Zhejiang . The unique craftsmanship passed down from ancestors made the knives sharp and durable. It was very famous among the people. The cooking master wanted to If you want a good knife, you go directly to him. The alley also got its name "Blacksmith Alley".
In the early years, Wenzhou mainly relied on waterways, timber, mountain goods, local specialties, and supplies that were urgently needed locally. Oujiang There used to be a busy scene at various piers: the collision of the bamboo poles and the pebbles on the river bottom, the roar of the boat owners, the coming and going of all kinds of boats, and the "squeaking" of the rapids hitting the shore. The sound of "clinking" iron in the blacksmith shop on the shore, together with the cries of various shops and vendors, are intertwined together, like a wonderful symphony...
This shows that Wenzhou's economic development level at that time was still dominated by handicrafts. Although the blacksmithing industry was difficult, it was still a relatively popular industry. In order to learn skills, many people had to work as apprentices for shop owners for free for three years.
Blacksmithing is a high-temperature job and cannot get rid of the "influence" of soot and charcoal fire. Lighting a fire in a red stove, working close to the fire, blowing the bellows, swinging the hammer, sweating profusely. When the iron piece turns red in the stove, the tongs are quickly clamped onto the ramrod. Then the master and the apprentice hammer up and down several times, making a jingling sound, and the iron piece gradually takes shape. Once the iron piece is formed, before it fades, the master will insert it into cold water. With a "chi" sound, a wisp of white smoke will rise, and the quenching is completed. Quenching is also a key technology. According to different materials or different uses, whether quenching is placed in water or oil, and the length of quenching time are very particular.
The master is the protagonist in the forging shop. He holds a small hammer in one hand and iron pliers in the other. During the forging process, he has to quickly turn the iron materials based on visual inspection and feeling. The apprentice is a supporting role. He holds the sledgehammer with both hands and follows the landing point of the master's small hammer. , and followed by hammering. But in the iron shop, the fire was flying and the hammers were clanging. The sound sounded very noisy, but in fact it was a very harmonious rhythm.
There is no doubt that blacksmithing is a man's hard work, and any man who eats this bowl of rice must have strength, courage and a spirit of hard work. When the sledgehammer and the small hammer are rising and falling, it is the time to show the strength and strength of a man. The young man who was forged in the forging shop would have the figure of a coach in the gym today, black and red, with beads of sweat. Particularly eye-catching.
In the early days of liberation in the 1950s, the government guided small family-owned iron shops in the old city to merge into cooperatives. Finally, several iron cooperatives were merged into the local state-owned Wenzhou Iron Factory, which turned to manufacturing large machinery and equipment. For example, Wenzhou Boiler Factory, Wenzhou Mining Machinery Factory and so on. It has brought the mechanical manufacturing level of Wenzhou to a higher level.
The blacksmithing alley in the map a hundred years ago
Nowadays in the old city, it can be said that it is difficult to see one or two iron shops. The forging scene of the blacksmith shop in the early years, with the scenes of flying steel flowers, has disappeared in the long river of time. .
