Do you still remember the feeling of taking a bath with adults in a distant childhood when we went to "Bathhouse" together? Take a shower in a lying box

What would you want to do on a scorching summer day when you start moving and sweat all over your body? What would you think of on a cold winter day with a runny nose? Of course it is - go take a good shower!

A pool of hot soup, a few beds in a lying box, a family or three or five friends, rubbing their backs and massaging in the mist, chatting and chatting... is this the bathing scene in your memory? It's very likely not.

But if you ask your elders at home, they may squint their eyes and tell you that they used to like to go to Rixin Pond on Pu'an Road, take a bath, then knock their back, cut their feet, have a plate of dried tofu with five flavors, some peanuts, olives, and salt dates, and chat with old friends all afternoon, not to mention being too nourishing.

Nowadays, old-fashioned bathhouses across the country have gradually faded away, but thinking of that foggy place still makes many people feel damp and warm in their hearts. For book editors born in the 1980s, Lu Yajun, creating a book that meticulously depicts these images with words and pictures, and freezes the "slow past" is an important way to preserve memory.

"Take this shower voucher and let's go into the bathhouse together!" In late June, on a rainy afternoon, Lu Yajun brought his picture book "Bathhouse" to Shanghai Lekai Bookstore, telling the story behind the scenes of the book's creation and childhood memories of the bathhouse.

A young father at the scene said to his son, "Look, dad, grandpa, grandpa's dad used to take showers like this. People's lives used to be very interesting, didn't they?" The little boy held a book, held a one yuan "Huiquan Pool" shower voucher, and nodded vigorously.

In the eyes of the Marine runner up, this is life. "Many people may think it's not important, but perhaps one day you will understand that their lives are also yours. The lives of generations reflect each other, and everything in the world has come together step by step."

A picture book of water vapor and heat

In the early years, taking a shower was a big deal. You had to take a shower before getting married, when you came back from other places, and even more so during the Chinese New Year. "When we were young, my younger siblings and I always went to the bathhouse to take a shower together under the guidance of adults," said Lu Yajun. In winter, almost everyone in the small town had to take a shower together, and during festivals, we had to be clean, refreshing, and refreshing. This seemed to be a convention. So before the Chinese New Year, the entrance to the bathhouse was always crowded with people.

Lu Yajun is from Jiangsu, graduated from the Chinese Department, and has been working as a children's book editor for many years. In his opinion, such a story about bathing may seem a bit outdated, but it records an important memory. This past existence is worth sharing with the next generation. "After my child was born, I gradually learned to tell stories to them. When I held the child's little hand with my big hand, a completely fresh force was transmitted to my heart. I felt that I should always be full of novelty in order to accompany the child to grow up." Lu Yajun said, "I want to tell the child about my life with his grandfather. This is a sharing of memories and a personal history."

The bathhouse is a peach blossom paradise in everyday life. When the thick cotton curtain is lifted, a burst of hot air rushes out. In the mist, a group of strangers with flushed faces chat and relax, including the protagonist Xiaojing and his father.

Cupping in the picture book "Bathhouse" and cupping in the movie "Bathing"

Xiaojing is a bouncing seven year old boy with thin arms and legs. For him, going to the bathhouse before the Chinese New Year is a happy thing. Entering the bath, the warmth from the outside in, the feeling of the cold air being sucked away from the spine and bones, are all indescribable. And there are too many novel things in this big maze - this chubby grandpa's arm is covered with watches, and that chubby uncle seems to never be afraid of getting hot; Some people snore loudly in the bathtub, while others sing opera loudly; This uncle is sucking on many small glass jars, that uncle's back is banging, and another uncle is rubbed like a cooked shrimp

"In the bathhouse, people of all kinds will meet, adults will chat with each other, fix their feet, draw a cupping jar, and children will play around. People will relieve their fatigue and find comfort." Lu Yajun said that the preparation time for this book was several years. As the author of the text, he specifically found several bathhouses in the south of the old city of Nanjing to take a bath. In addition to the story plot, many versions of the character biographies and dialogues in the picture book have also been written.

Painter Yang Bo also did a lot of homework. Yang Bo was born in 1960. When he was a child, he started learning painting at the Youth Palace by copying "Little People's Books". Comics and picture books are different. When editing a comic book movie, it can only explain one thing clearly, while picture books are very inclusive and emphasize a sense of space. For this reason, he carefully investigated the old bathhouse that he usually didn't pay attention to, paying particular attention to observing the layout, objects, character movements, expressions, and style. In order to make the picture clean and sharp, highlight numerous characters, and have the liveliness and human touch of a bathhouse, the final color choice was light color.

"At the beginning of the painting, it was like a shy spectator rushing into a bare space, apologetically reminding everyone: everyone! It's time to be on camera, be careful, don't let the light go." Yang Bo said, initially designing the character dynamics only focused on covering them up, but later found that the characters were dull and lost their rightful liveliness and vividness. As the creation deepened, the manuscript kept changing, and these characters became acquaintances of themselves. When the perspective changes from the spectator to the owner of the bathhouse, he feels that he needs to arrange everything in the bathhouse properly, every corner and corner, and the characters come to life.

The nourishing life brewed out

Opening "Bathhouse", it seems like you can hear sounds - creaking wooden bolts, clattering clogs, splashing water, children shouting at water fights, and singing in the pool; It also seems to have a touch and taste - hot soup, warm towels, soap with a fresh and elegant taste, water vapor with a hint of burnt fragrance.

The most exciting thing is still the people in the bathhouse. The key groups of characters depicted in the book are also indispensable in the bathhouse ecosystem that we are most familiar with. In addition to the bathhouse guests, there are also several staff members at the ticket office, lobby, shower room, and bathhouse.

The first staff member to appear was Master Sun. The people who came to take a bath took off the heavy gold, steel, and platinum watches and temporarily stored them on Master Sun's wrist, which was the most secure. He asked for the berth number while taking off the coat taken off by the guest and using a pole to help hang it high.

Seeing this, Shanghai resident Xiao Du couldn't help but interject, "These waiters have such a great memory. They can cross clothes one by one, and no matter how many people come, they can remember which position is where the guest belongs and where the clothes are." Xiao Du, born in the 1980s, followed his father and grandfather to the bathhouse when he was young. "Shanghai people call taking a shower a 'hot bath' and the bathroom a 'mixed room'. I grew up on the side of Dapu Bridge in Luwan District, where there are various types and grades of bathrooms, the most expensive one is a private room, and the cheapest one is a public bathhouse."

Different bathrooms have different pleasures, and public bathtubs have a unique feature called "stirring water". "This is Old Zhoutou, who is responsible for stirring water and taking baths. He has been working for many years and is very familiar with bath guests, energetic and strong." Lu Yajun pointed to the old man in the middle of the bath and introduced him with a smile. "At this moment, hot water had just been added to the pool, and everyone rushed to the edge of the pool. Old Zhoutou was not afraid at all, but jumped into the pool and stirred it up, making the water temperature quickly even."

After the water temperature rose, the mist in the bath became even greater, and everyone soaked in it soft and lazy. Some even started snoring. In a daze, an old man stood up from the bathtub and sang the play "Qiang Qiang..." with a bright spirit, everyone suddenly regained their energy. Those who have watched the movie "Bathing" should be deeply impressed by the bathhouse singer who sang "My Sun" in the film. Their confident expressions of singing out of joy on their faces are somewhat similar.

"For adults, in addition to bathing, haircutting, back tapping, and foot cutting, the bathhouse also provides various services such as laundry and ironing. For me as a child, the greatest pleasure of taking a shower was being able to eat something, and it was quite enjoyable to have a carrot pancake at the door after washing," said Lu Yajun.

In the movie "Taking a Bath," there are many types of service options available in the bathhouse, including drinking small drinks and eating peanuts in the bathhouse

For many Shanghainese, the various snacks in the bathroom are enough for the old guys to spend a few more hours. Dried tofu with five fragrances, sliced water chestnuts, green radish chunks, as well as melon seeds, peanuts, dried plums, and pickled dates, make people truly enjoy the pleasure of taking a shower in the bathroom.

In the eyes of fifty year old Shanghai uncle Zhai, taking a bath is a form of enjoyment. He said many bathroom names in one breath: Kade Pond, Daguanyuan, Xiaobangwan Bathroom, Hongqiao Bathroom, Jinxian Bathroom, Heping Bathroom, Xuhui Bathroom, Da Lang Tao Sha... "I have been taking baths with my father since I was young, and after two or three hours, people are refreshing and refreshing."

The history of Shanghai's bathhouses can be traced back to the beginning of its opening. In the 1950s, there were over 100 bathhouses of all sizes in Shanghai, and by around 2000, it had developed to nearly 2500. It can be said that every street in Shanghai has a bathroom. In relatively concentrated residential areas such as Old Ximen in the southern urban area, Dapu Bridge in Luwan District, and Tilanqiao in Hongkou District, there are well-equipped old style bathrooms, many of which are convenient and affordable.

In the early years, the bathing utensils were relatively simple, just a piece of laundry soap was enough. "The ticket office at the entrance also has soap that is the size of a sliced adult cake. This small piece is enough to take a shower, not only to wash the body well, but also to rub clothes." Uncle Zhai said, from the original solid soap, sauce red medicinal soap, sulfur soap to now soap, shower gel, bathing products have undergone great changes, and life has also undergone great changes.

The bathhouse is also a tea house

In the 1990s, the Korean drama "The Men of the Bathhouse Boss's Family" became popular on the screen. At the beginning of this drama, the men of the family sit together and take a bath. The old man who runs the bathhouse asks, "When do you feel happiest living until now?" Some say having a son, some say getting into college, and some say getting promoted. However, the old man says, "Now, the moment we sit in the pool and take a bath, talking, is the happiest moment.".

"My father loves taking baths very much, with a high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. He also goes to the incubator and makes a cup of tea to eat when he comes out. It's pleasant." Uncle Zhai remembers that when he takes a shower, his father always says to himself, "Little devil, go down and soak first." After soaking, his father wriggles the towel dry, wraps it around his wrist, puts one hand in it, pushes it on his face, shakes his neck, starts wiping, and even pinches his toes one by one. "Taking a shower is really a happy thing. A good shower is better than wearing a leather padded jacket - it's not cold anymore!"

There are scenes of the father wiping the child's back and the child wiping the father's back

Many boys have bathed with their fathers or grandfathers when they were young, and their big hands wrapped in towels to wipe their backs are the deepest memories of childhood. Uncle Zhai said, "In the past, it was my dad who took us to take a shower. Sometimes he didn't have time, but my brother took me there. After my brother started working, I took my two younger brothers and we rubbed each other's backs. We wiped off the old dirt and washed them with soap. When I was young, my dad took a shower for me. As I grew older, I turned around and washed my dad. This is the responsibility of being a child."

The bathhouse is a space that can be found all over the world. Roman ministers discussed national affairs in large bathtubs, while open-air hot springs can be seen everywhere in Hungary. Japan is very particular about soup culture. "In China, the bathhouse can be seen as a tea house, full of vitality, but here we meet naked," said Lu Yajun. Tea houses are usually lively in the morning, drinking tea, chatting, playing with birds, fighting insects, and listening to books; The bathhouse, on the other hand, is lively from afternoon to late afternoon. Taking a bath, drinking tea, chatting, and taking a nap are another form of reward for the body.

As a public bathhouse, it is a subtle place. Here, we don't talk about high or low status, it's the easiest place to let go. People of all kinds, stripped naked and walked into the bathing area, half lying and half sitting, all meeting naked. In the hazy mist of steam, it is easy to break down barriers between people and talk about everything.

At the beginning of their creation, the two authors of "The Bathhouse" hoped that this "Winter Bathing Picture" could showcase these diversity and become a sketch of various aspects of the market, just like "Along the River during the Qingming Festival". Lu Yajun said, "However, 'Along the River during the Qingming Festival' is a long scroll with static characters. The characters in the picture book are moving, and this character may take a shower on one page, then go to the next page and get dressed again. It is necessary to design the movement of each character well so that this 32 page daily story can have a smooth transition."

Lu Yajun is sharing

Little readers are listening attentively to the story of "Bathhouse" told by the owner of Lekai Bookstore Snail

Their ideas have indeed come true, even if you haven't been to the bathhouse, you can still glimpse one or two of them from this book. By the bath, under the shower, one can see youth and strength, vicissitudes and aging, muscles, white hair, family happiness, loneliness and sorrow, loneliness and restraint, and innocence and innocence.

In recent years, reports such as "The Last Old Bathhouse" have occasionally appeared in the newspapers. With the demolition or upgrading of old bathhouses, a series of related cultures are becoming memories, which is an inevitable development of the times. Although many people may yearn for the human touch in common culture, social spaces like "bathhouses" will eventually take on new forms, and the cities we used to be familiar with will eventually become different.

"We draw these past daily lives into pictures and write them into books, just to tell the next generation what our childhood was like, and when they grow up, they can continue to write their own childhood stories." Lu Yajun said, "This is also a way to preserve national memories."