In the early 1950s, water transportation on the Xiangjiang River was developed to provide seafarers and shipmen with a place to rest and entertain. In 1954, the seamen's union, shipowners and shipping bureau funded the establishment of the Recreation Building. In 1958, the Recreation Building was built. A theater is built on the building, which together constitute the seaman club . The
Seaman's Club was officially opened to the public in 1979 and became the first batch of video halls and ballrooms opened to the public in Changsha, and the only orchestra in Changsha in the early 1980s.
In 2005, the Seaman’s Club was included in the second batch of modern protected buildings in Changsha, but it was still demolished in 2009.
Now, we can only restore the original appearance of this building and the corresponding history from the narrative of the old Changsha people.
Soviet-style building
Changsha Seaman's Club is located on Biwan Street in the urban area of Changsha. On the west side of Biwan Street is the Xiangjiang River. The Seaman's Club is only about 30 meters away from Xiangjiang River.
In 1954, the rivers and lakes of Changsha were swollen with water, and the streets along the river in the city were flooded. In that year, the seamen's club was built to prevent floods. The floor of the club was much higher than that of Biwan Street. Along a slope more than one meter high, walk into the apron of the Seaman's Club. The apron is a concrete floor. Two rows of tall camphor trees and plane trees come oncoming. On the left side of
Caoping is a three-story Soviet-style brick-concrete building called Recreation Building, with cornices and red brick clear water walls, which are atmospheric, simple and bright. The first floor of the building is a table tennis, chess and card, music activity room, the second floor is a book reading room and ballroom, and the third floor is a club and seamen's union office.
The demolished seamen's club (picture 丨Xinkou’s blog)
The stairs of the building
are very wide, with double rings and red five-pointed stars embedded in the handrails. There are many shipping model workers with red flowers on their chests on the walls of the building’s aisles. Tens of thousands of shipping workers in the province are indeed a respectable group. They have been wandering outside for a long time, working in a hard working environment, and dedicated silently. The
club theater is on the east side of the Soviet-style building, arranged in a T-shape with the building, and the entrance is directly opposite the entrance of the club. Go through a flight of steps and turn left to the theater auditorium. The audience hall is very tall, divided into two floors upstairs and downstairs, and can seat hundreds of people to watch.
The seaman
next to me was in the reading room. I met an elder brother named Cui who was a sailor on the ship when he was fourteen. Once he took the initiative to ask me for a one-word explanation and invited me to play on the boat where he worked.
What I saw was a small cargo ship, specially hauling wooden ships loaded in rows. The cargo ship cabin he lived in was very short and narrow under the deck, but he arranged the cabin very neatly and the cargo ship deck was also clean and shiny. I later learned that he was an active member of the provincial shipping system studying Chairman Mao's works. Because of his active work, he was organized and arranged to support Xinjiang's construction after the promotion.
Changsha Maritime (Photo丨Changsha Maritime Safety Administration Network)
My family lives in Luopengqiao Street, not far from the club. Master Nie and Master Hua from the left suburbs and youshe are all shipping workers. Neighbors on the street praised the two masters. Every time they were on public holidays, they always brought back bags of living supplies that were in short supply at the time. At home, they would sweat and beat hundreds of catties of lotus root coal. Shipping workers are famous for loving their wives and for diligent family care.
Lively club
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Xiangjiang River shipping was very busy. From the West Lake Bridge in the urban area of Changsha to the Zhushanyuan Xinhe area, there were gasoline terminals, vegetable terminals, long-distance passenger terminals, ferry terminals, and short-distance passenger terminals on the Xiangjiang River. Grain dock, dung dock, sand and gravel dock, wooden dock, etc.
Yanjiang Avenue north of Wuyi Road in October 1978. On the right side of Yanjiang Avenue are Biwan Street and Xichang Street. Near the ferry terminal, groups of fishing boats gather on the river bank. (Photo丨Xin Hunan)
Whenever the ship docks at the pier, young shipping workers flock to the seaman’s club in groups to watch movies, dance ballroom dancing, play ball and chess, and read and study. Shipping dormitories and shipping workers living in the streets near the club will bring their loved ones or children to the club for entertainment when they return home for vacation.
As students living near the club, we are also frequent visitors. We spend more time in it during winter and summer vacations. It costs a few cents to watch a movie, read books in the library, play chess and cards, and play table tennis for no money, so we often grab table tennis in advance. The table, occupying the field. Occasionally new moviesWhen we couldn't get the ticket, we took the opportunity to slip in. The theater staff also opened one eye and closed one eye. We were very proud.
Since the Seaman’s Club is not part of the cultural department, the release of new movies usually takes a step forward. However, cultural life is lacking at that time. After watching it in the public or youth cinema, many young people rush to the Seaman’s Club to watch it again.
During the Cultural Revolution, the Seaman’s Club was also lively, and nearby students would have more time to play inside if they were not in class. At this time, in addition to screening films, the theater also regularly organized the masses to perform various model operas such as Peking Opera and Huagu Opera. Although the level was not high, it was quite devoted. We sometimes sang a few words along with us, which was also very happy.
disappeared seamen's club
to the end of the 1970s, especially the deepening of reform and opening up, road transportation developed rapidly, shipping vessels decreased year by year, the seamen's club slowly became cold.
In the late 1980s, Biwan Street spontaneously formed a dry and fresh goods market, and the first floor of the Seaman’s Club building was also rented to merchants as warehouses.
Biwan Street (Picture: Xinkou’s blog)
Xiangjiang Avenue outside Biwan Street (Picture: Xinkou’s blog)
At the beginning of this century, houses and units in the Biwan Street area of the old city were demolished and converted into Wanda Plaza buildings. , Changsha Seamen’s Club, the iconic building for half a century, was also destroyed and disappeared before our eyes. Although
does not exist anymore, the Seaman's Club does not exist anymore, but it carries a generation of history and is a microcosm of the rise and fall of Xiangjiang shipping. With the growth of our generation, it will remain in our memory forever.
- Author | Tao Guojun, a native of Changsha, graduated from Provincial Radio and Television University, a construction supervision engineer, has long lived in a private house near the seamen's club. The copyright of this article belongs to the original author.
- Editor | Liu Peiqi, the article is abridged, the title and pictures are added by the editor, and the pictures are from the Internet. For
- reprint authorization, please contact Cheng Xiaoyi (WeChat ID: chengshijiyiwh) to add friends.
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