Street lights are a common public facility in modern society. If we move the timeline forward a hundred years, what kind of lighting facilities were there in ancient cities at night? Entering through the alley from Wuhuafang Lane, Zhengyi Road, Wuhua District, Kunming City, in the fence at the end of the alley, stands an ancient street lamp from the Qing Dynasty. It looks "gray" and very inconspicuous. But more than 100 years ago, it took on the responsibility of lighting up the night for residents. It not only witnessed the emergence of public service consciousness in modern Kunming, but also had a little-known story of persuading people to do good.
An ancient street lamp from the Qing Dynasty standing quietly. Photo by Du Qiqi
Encourage people to be kind
This is a stone-carved scented oil lamp, square column in shape, with a hollow top and windows on three sides. There is a round lamp inside for holding lamp oil. The stone tablet on the side records: It was built in the Dingwei year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1847). It is the only remaining Qing Dynasty street lamp in Kunming. To this day, this street lamp is still well preserved, has not suffered serious erosion or damage, and its appearance has not changed much. There are still traces of the wick that was lit in the lamp.
The street lights are still well preserved. Photo by Du Changqi
Such a street lamp seems to give people the feeling that as long as the lamp oil is injected and the wick is lit, it will still emit the same light as it did a hundred years ago. In fact, this is indeed the case.
Qian Jun, a staff member of the Wuhua District Museum, told reporters that the reason for the establishment of this batch of street lights was that the society at that time had a certain awareness of public service. The government set up stone lampposts with oil lamps on main streets and alleys. , convenient for pedestrians at night.
Before that, if you want to travel through Kunming at night, what can you provide for lighting? If there is a shop on the street, you can borrow the candlelight from the shop. If you are back in the alley, you can only light a lantern or burn a pine tree torch, so that you can walk safely.
Of course, some do-gooders will hang a wooden framed oil lamp at a corner or bumpy spot, and some will use a bamboo pole to lift the lantern out of the wall to benefit pedestrians. The late Qing Dynasty scholar Luo Yangru mentioned such a scene in his book "Ji Wo Zhi Ji Ji" ("Yunnan Stories"), and also emphasized that "this move is purely a private merit and has nothing to do with the government." .
It can be seen that the establishment of this batch of stone street lamps can be regarded as a relatively important livelihood project at that time. Qian Jun introduced that such street lights had been installed in Taoyuan Street, Yuantong East Road, Zhangguanying on the side of Panlongjiang River and other places. A small bowl of lamp oil is added to the street lamp each time, and it can continue to burn for up to 10 hours, with a lighting distance of 25 to 30 meters.
"The placement of this street lamp is also very particular. At a T-junction, the light can radiate to the intersection, which proves that people at that time studied it carefully." Qian Jun said that the lamp of the street lamp was originally blocked by glass. The glass at that time was shipped from abroad. It was relatively expensive, but it was windproof and rainproof.
For the maintenance of street lamps, the Kunming County Government allocates lamp oil money and wick money. Specialized personnel are responsible for adding lamp oil to the lamps, and some are entrusted to nearby people to take care of them. However, this is not an easy job - as funds are shrinking day by day, caretakers often need to buy lamp oil and cotton thread to rub the wicks. This cost is not affordable by ordinary people.
Candlelight in Spring City
In April 1912, China's first hydropower station, Shilongba Hydropower Station, was completed and put into use. The first generation of incandescent electric light sources appeared in Kunming. Since then, these stone street lamps have slowly lost their lighting function. But in some areas where electric lights can't shine, there are still people who continue to add lamp oil to ancient street lamps.
Li Guangming, secretary of the Party Committee of Wenmiao Community, Huguo Street, Wuhua District, said that the mother of Liu Hule, a famous lawyer in Yunnan who once lived in the area, had volunteered to take care of this street lamp in Wuhuafang Lane for many years, and many elderly people had seen it. She goes to the lamp to pick up the wick at night.
At that time, Wuhuafang Lane was just a small alley no more than two meters wide, but it was connected to a gynecological clinic, or it was the "Dafashi Hospital", the predecessor of Kunming Maternal and Child Health Hospital. The exact name is unknown. But what is certain is that this is a "first aid road" to life.
For a long time, this street lamp has still played a role in illuminating life when pregnant women and critically ill patients go to the hospital. The red-lacquered gates, ancient houses, hurried footsteps, barking dogs in the deep alleys... together with this street lamp, bear witness to the glory and vicissitudes of old Kunming for more than a century.
Today, this ancient street lamp from the Qing Dynasty is 175 years old. On top of its head is a much smaller "younger descendant" that is responsible for the lighting function - solar street lamp . As a district-level cultural relics protection unit established in 1986, the ancient street lamps are protected by the Wenmiao community signing the "Four Precautions" safety responsibility letter for cultural relics protection. They are important physical materials for studying the history of Kunming's urban street lamps.
Occasionally, tourists from home and abroad will find information about it, come here admiringly, and take photos in front of it as a souvenir. After all, it once illuminated Kunming with its faint light.
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