The flavor of human world soothes the hearts of ordinary people. The vibrant nightlife is an important characteristic of modern cities. Hangzhou, known as the "City That Never Sleeps," is famous for its night markets such as the Wushan Night Market in Shangcheng District and the illuminated Hubin Commercial Circle. People from all walks of life gather there for shopping, dining, tourism, entertainment, and learning. Whether it's by the West Lake or in the emerging Qianjiang New Town, the night economy is thriving. However, the concept of a lively nightlife is not exclusive to modern times. Ancient people also had their own exciting nighttime activities.
The prototype of night markets appeared during the Tang Dynasty. During that time, there was a strict curfew system in place, prohibiting common people from going out at night and closing down markets. if there was a violation, people would be punished. However, on important holidays such as the Lantern Festival, the curfew was temporarily lifted, allowing people to celebrate throughout the night. Thus, during these few days when the curfew was lifted, night markets were bustling with people and became popular destinations for family outings. However, due to time restrictions, the development of night markets lacked uniformity and order.
In the Song Dynasty, due to financial difficulties caused by wars, the government aimed to revitalize the economy. In the third year of the Qiande era (965 AD), Emperor Taizu of Song decreed the opening of night markets in Kaifeng, the capital city. The decree stated that "night markets in the capital city are allowed to open until three drum beats." In ancient times, drum beats marked the passing of time at night, and three drum beats, also known as Sangeng, referred to the period from 11 pm to 1 am. This policy achieved great success, and other cities followed suit. By the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, the curfew system was completely abolished, and night markets flourished like never before. Illuminated streets and bustling activities were seen in cities that had the means, with singing and dancing lasting until dawn.
The book "Dreams of the Eastern Capital" describes the night markets during this time: "The markets remain open until the three drum beats end, and reopen at the five drum beats. Those lively places for entertainment continue throughout the night without closing." Night markets were spread throughout the main streets of the capital city, Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng). Even on stormy and rainy winter nights, the markets continued as usual. Restaurants and shops sprouted up, even around forbidden areas such as the Imperial Palace. Famous night markets included Zhouqiao Night Market, Maxing Street Night Market, and Panlou Street Night Market. Among these, Maxing Street was particularly impressive, stretching for dozens of miles. Crowds flocked to the night market, and Su Dongpo, a prominent Song Dynasty poet, once expressed his admiration while strolling through Maxing Street: "The hustle and bustle of the silk market reminds me of my homeland; the lights shining on Maxing Street bring back memories of past years."
Compared to the Northern Song Dynasty night markets, which were closed during harsh winter nights, the night markets in the Southern Song Dynasty's capital city of Lin'an remained open all year round and offered a more diverse range of activities. For instance, the Zhongwa Night Market in the southern part of the Imperial Street and the Beiwa Night Market near Zhongan Bridge were cultural night markets centered around entertainment venues, offering a variety of food, drinks, and entertainment. In the suburbs of West Lake, private garden areas hosted leisure night markets centered around lakes and gardens, providing an opportunity for people to indulge in food, drinks, and entertainment. There were also night markets focused on trading goods, such as Xiuyifang in Yangbatou, which was known as the "meat market" street. Today, Xiuyifang is renamed Sanyuanfang, but old Hangzhou residents still enjoy buying beef and lamb there.
If people then wanted to have a drink or a meal at night, they just had to look for the mountain-shaped decorations in front of the restaurants. Those with lit lanterns and signs at night were late-night dining establishments. In addition to upscale restaurants, there were also very popular open-air food stalls known as "dapaifang." These stalls offered inexpensive and diverse dishes, such as frozen fish heads, braised rabbits, grilled kidneys, roasted pigskin, pickled crabs, and braised lamb feet. In the summer, there were various drinks available, such as lychee paste, perilla drinks, and plum blossom wine. A wide variety of wild game meat and side dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, were available, encompassing different regional flavors.
These stalls were often found near entertainment venues. After eating and drinking to their heart's content, people could go to the nearby entertainment venues to watch performances. After enjoying various shows like dramas, singing, operas, magic tricks, and acrobatics, they could indulge in late-night snacks again. It’s a truly delightful experience.
Based on the citizens' nightlife, public lighting systems such as street lamps, bridge lamps, and road lamps began to appear in Song Dynasty cities to facilitate nighttime travel. The advertising lights of shops also brightened up the night. If one were to view the Earth from outer space, they would find that most places in the world were enveloped in darkness after sunset, except for cities within the territory of the Song Dynasty, which remained brightly lit.