Nightlife, night economy, night culture … The night in China is quietly changing.
Source: Half-monthly talk
Original title: Shaping a Beautiful "China Night"
Bubble tea instant noodles, hot pot rice saute spicy chicken …
The traditional night market is full of delicious food and fireworks. However, high-grade nightlife is not limited to this. Nowadays, there are books, stars and moons, leading a new look of cultural leisure.
"cordate telosma" and "night beauty" …
High-quality night economy is a comprehensive embodiment of a city’s management wisdom and business environment. It needs patient cultivation and guidance to make night economy a new engine to stimulate urban consumption.
The night is deep and the lights are shining, keeping the promise of changing things …
Mountain city Chongqing has a good scenery.
There is never a lack of stories at night. With a long history and a vast life, night culture does not have to be confined to a single form, but can continue to move towards a deeper and higher pattern through innovation and creativity.
Pursuing high-grade nightlife, tempering high-quality night economy, and shaping high-pattern night culture are all pushing each other, and the three pillars are all in order to meet the public’s yearning for a better life. Building a beautiful night civilization in China is actually the continuous exploration and innovation of the ancient night value by the Chinese nation, and it will surely make new breakthroughs in the new era, lasting forever.
1 High taste: the change of nightlife
A big city is "one side of a thousand cities", and people begin to reflect on the coordinates and value orientation of urban development. The concept of sustainable development promotes the city to develop towards a harmonious society and green livability while pursuing efficiency.
Although the economic indicators during the day are important, the diversity and uniqueness of nightlife can not be ignored-high-grade nightlife has become one of the criteria to measure whether a city has vitality and prospects.
The moonlight in the vault is soft, and the lights are bright. For many people, bidding farewell to the busy day, their own life finally kicked off with the night.
At night, don’t stop at fireworks.
Nightlife, of course, there must be a night block.
Chongqing, which is located in the southwest corner, is unique, and it is difficult to copy online celebrity city. The most "red" in this city is the night in the mountain city.
Chongqing is built on river valleys, terraces, hills and low mountains. The roads are uneven and the buildings are scattered, which makes people sigh that "the famous city is on the rocks". It is precisely because of this terrain that Chongqing’s "one city with thousands of faces" has been created. Jie Fangbei, Hongyadong, Chaotianmen, Yangtze River Cableway … brightly lit buildings and bridges are reflected in the Jialing River, and the night is like a dream.
However, the charm of Chongqing at night can not only stay in the beautiful scenery, but also be reflected in people’s nightlife.
Video reporter: Li Hualing
Last August, Chongqing Night Market Culture Festival reopened, with 27 districts and counties and over 30,000 merchants participating, and more than 40 theme activities, which made the mountain city lively and upgraded. From the early night market built with door panels and bamboo poles to the "characteristic night market block" with obvious industrial cluster effect; From food stalls featuring barbecues and Jianghu dishes to exquisite shops integrating catering, entertainment, cultural creation and other formats. At present, despite the epidemic, the mountain city is always full of passion in the face of tempting nightlife.
Jiujie is one of the nightlife centers of Chongqing people. It is located in Guanyinqiao Street, Jiangbei District. It is the first batch of city-level night market commercial districts approved by Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce. Here, hot pot, barbecue and night beer have long been the standard of Chongqing people’s nightlife. "I saw the bustling and magical city scenery of Chongqing through the Internet before, and now I have personally experienced it, from the night view of the riverside to the nightlife of Jiujie, everything is beautiful." Beijing tourist Peng Peng said.
In Jiujie, Jie Fangbei, Hongyadong and other areas, the number of street performers who sing, dance and play magic has gradually increased, which not only adds cultural charm and romance to the city, but also enriches the nightlife of the citizens. Luo Sibo, director of Chongqing Tourism Development Research Center of Chongqing Normal University, believes that this is the result of urban economic and cultural development. "The rise and fall of such people is a barometer of urban cultural development."
Shanghai’s Jinjiang Paradise Night Market has entered its sixth year. Zhu Weimin, assistant to the general manager of Jinjiang Paradise, said that there were 51 stalls and more than 150 kinds of snacks in this year’s night market, among which new products accounted for about 15%. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the overall scale was reduced compared with previous years, but the night market changed from seasonal opening to year-round closing. "The park has done a lot of work to improve its internal strength. For example, before the opening of the market, the food in each booth was evaluated in three rounds, and the ingredients, unit price, taste, plate loading and other dimensions were selected to survive the fittest, with emphasis on improving the cost performance."
Shanghai Bookstore Create Comfortable Cultural Space
"I used to go to the night market. I saw that the big squid and the Turkish barbecue were going to be eaten, and the three cows could not be pulled away. Last year, I got the’ three highs’ at a young age. Now for the sake of health, I prefer light food at night, such as fruit and vegetable juice and cereal yogurt cups. " Liaoning netizen Xunzi said that in the past, she only paid attention to whether the taste of night market food was spicy enough, whether it was cheap and big bowl, but now she pays more attention to health, cleanliness and hygiene. "Eating heavy food in the night market is easy to have diarrhea and affect sleep." She said.
According to Ctrip’s statistics, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xiamen, Sanya, Lijiang, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Xi ‘an and Wuzhen are the top ten "popular cities for night tours" in the summer of 2019, especially the scenic spots on both sides of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, Hongyadong in Chongqing, Houhai in Beijing and West Lake in Hangzhou, which are more popular at night than during the day and become good places for nightlife.
Night, not obsessed with enthusiasm.
Nightlife is not only noisy and lively, but also quiet and pure.
Chongqing Beicang, Erchang and other cultural and creative blocks exude charming charm, attracting people to spend their slow time quietly and enjoy small fortunes. The most famous library in the block is Beicang Library, which is open to the public free of charge. Bright light, mottled bamboo shadows, gentle music, refreshing tea and mellow coffee are perfectly integrated with exquisite books from all over the world in the reconstructed old building. Standing in front of this high-grade library, who can guess that it was once an abandoned Jiangbei textile warehouse in Chongqing?
From June 6th to June 30th, Shanghai held the first Shanghai Nightlife Festival in the whole city. As a part of it, the theme section "Late Night Bookstore Festival", which advocates "night reading", called on nearly 30 bookstores in the central city to join. A bookstore in Huangpu District has extended its weekend business hours to midnight, and there is an extra discount for buying books at night. For the convenience of the public, the bookstore has also launched a "late-night desk" service, where you can enjoy exclusive seats and refreshments provided by the bookstore at the cost of 50 yuan.
"In my eyes, the night in the city has a quiet and upward force." In the impression of He Lei, the manager on duty at Chuangzhi Tiandi Store of Shanghai Da Yin Bookstore, Shanghai has always been a bustling city. Until the experience of visiting the late-night bookstore two years ago, he saw the other side of the city. "Unlike the restless street scenes seen during the day, you can feel the quiet weight of the city in the bookstore at night." Turn from the bustling night market into the bookstore, and the noise disappears instantly. "There are many customers who come to the bookstore recently, but everyone can always keep quiet tacitly." He Lei said.
Before the epidemic, the bookstore closed at 2 am every day. He Lei said that because the bookstore is close to universities, business districts and residential areas, many customers will not leave until closing time every night, and now the closing time of the bookstore is advanced to before 12: 00 pm. "The closing time has been advanced, but the number of people studying has not decreased." He Lei is responsible for the selection, display, sales and maintenance of books in the store, and generally does not pay too much attention to what books customers read and do. "But some customers come more often and always feel familiar."
The large-scale real-life mythical musical "The Covenant of Kunlun" was staged in Urumqi in Ding Lei/photo.
During the two years in the bookstore, there are more and more "familiar" guests in He Lei. "Some guests like to come here to buy books. They come more often and occasionally exchange a few words with us. Some guests have frequently come to the store for self-study in the past six months, perhaps to prepare for the exam, but now they are not coming, so they should have realized their dreams. There are guests who don’t study, just to borrow the net or have a rest, and don’t leave until the store is closed … "
Miss Kuang is an "old acquaintance" of He Lei. Miss Kuang, who lives nearby, often comes directly to the bookstore to read books after work. "I am too busy at work during the day, so I can only use the evening time to recharge myself." Miss Kuang said, "Compared with home, it is quiet and comfortable, there are many books to choose from, and there are many people who also love reading, so I prefer reading here."
"The night bookstore seems to be a lighthouse in the spiritual world of urbanites." He Lei said, "When the hustle and bustle of the day passes, it becomes a corner where many people find themselves and relax."
Small literary and fresh homestays and sentimental country farmhouses have also become a pleasant choice for citizens pursuing high-quality nightlife. "I just want to look up at the stars, sleep on the kang for one night, and listen to the cock crow in the morning, so I specially drove to Laoshan to find a homestay." Qingdao citizen Mr. Zhang said. His family, who is engaged in foreign trade business, lives in Shibei District, and it takes an hour to drive to Laoshan. The traffic in the hustle and bustle, the chickens and dogs hear each other, the scenery is beautiful, and you can enjoy yourself-an unpretentious village, a paradise beyond the disturbance.
"Remember when you said that home is the only castle. Don’t cry and let fireflies take you away. The songs in the country are always relied on. Go home and return to the original beauty …" When I was a child, I experienced rural life and fell asleep every night with a local accent, which was fascinating for many years. In addition to the square dance, the sentimental farmhouse is quite popular among the elderly. "People are old and like to recall the past." Aunt Zhang, a citizen of Xinjiang, said, "When I was young, I slept in the ground, picked up cotton and ate stick noodles. Now I often want to come to the farmhouse to find out my past feelings. It is also a bitter experience."
Night, show a new look of culture and leisure.
Night performances and museum nights are high-profile representatives of nightlife.
Xi ‘an is inspiring with its mysterious and graceful night. The profound cultural heritage of the ancient capital has added many connotations to the nightlife of Qin flavor. "Showing prosperity, the rise and fall of honor and disgrace, the story of wind and rain, spread through the ages. The beautiful scenery of hibiscus is still there today … "Bathed in the twilight of Xi ‘an Datang Furong Garden, affectionate and lingering songs are gradually rising. The large-scale water dance light and shadow show "Datang Chasing Dreams", with the sky, buildings and lakes as the curtain, builds a realistic and illusory stage scene and leads tourists to "dream in Chang ‘an and go to the prosperous Tang Dynasty together".
"Since the opening of the garden in 2005, Datang Furong Garden has shown the world the style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty with its magnificent imitation of Tang architecture and harmonious landscape. The performance of" Dream of the Tang Dynasty "has injected the cultural soul into the landscape architecture." Yang Tao, deputy general manager of Xi ‘an Datang Furong Garden Scenic Area Management Company, said.
As night falls, the brightly lit Guangzhou Grand Theatre looks like two pebbles on the Pearl River from a distance, dazzling. The original Chinese opera "Kyle Polo" staged at the end of June this year is the first offline performance of Guangzhou Grand Theatre after the epidemic. "The audience is very enthusiastic. After a few minutes of invoicing, the tickets for the first two days were sold out." Rui Chen, assistant general manager of Guangzhou Grand Theatre, said.
The large-scale live-action musical "The Covenant of Kunlun", which was built in Xinjiang for three years, continued to be performed at the foot of Tianshan Mountain in the south of Urumqi at the end of May this year. Going to the scene to taste wonderful performances and enjoy beautiful night scenes has become the first choice for many Urumqi citizens’ nightlife. At about 21 o’clock, the stage, which gradually faded in the natural light, instantly became vivid under the shining lights. The magnificent Western Zhou Palace buildings and the crystal clear world of ice and snow in the western regions were displayed in front of us, and the actors danced or galloped in the beautiful music. After watching the performance, Hullman Nur Shahati, a villager from Dongliang Village, Shuixigou Town, urumqi county, quickly "basked" the wonderful pictures of the performance in his circle of friends. "I didn’t expect to see such a wonderful performance at night!"
"There is no distance in the world, and the world is home …" At the beginning of the lights, a long-lost song and dance sounded on the Aquarius Mountain on the Lhasa River. On the evening of June 1st, Princess Wencheng, a large-scale live drama, performed its first performance this year, which injected strong momentum into the orderly resumption of work and production of Gaoyuan tourism industry. Ma Yuan, a tourist from Hebei, entered the theater after temperature measurement, cleaning and disinfection, and health code scanning. He said: "I was so lucky to come to Tibet for the first time and just catch up with the opening of the theater. The beauty of the dance is particularly shocking. It is really a night audio-visual feast. "
The brand theme activity of "Gusu Millennium, Natural History Summer Night" was released in early June, and the opening hours of Suzhou Museum, Suzhou Opera Museum, Suzhou Silk Museum and other museums were extended every Friday and Saturday in June. He Jianmin, director of the Cultural Tourism Exhibition Research Center of the Business School of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, believes that this move of the museum is not only to extend the opening hours, but also to develop more night cultural activities based on venues and exhibitions. Cultural and cultural sites in many parts of the country try to meet the diversified needs of the public in various ways, and gradually begin to lead new cultural and leisure habits.
"Rich nightlife can reflect the vitality and modernization level of the city to a certain extent." Lozberg believes that high-quality nightlife can bring opportunities for urban prosperity, provide an outlet for the spiritual needs of urban residents, and at the same time, it can also highlight the cultural characteristics of the city, which is conducive to the formation of symbolic urban space. Nightlife can be even more charming. (Reporter Li Hualing Deng Ruixuan Zhang Liyuan Yan Xiangling Pan Ying Cai Xinyi)
2 high quality: thinking of night economy
The city has high-rise buildings and traffic, as well as ordinary lanes, daily necessities. As a product of economic and social development, night economy has become one of the important carriers for people to enjoy leisure life after work.
Yi Cong, a professor at Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, said that citizens are increasingly pursuing a quality life beyond eight hours, and the night economy also needs to keep pace with the times, adhere to high-quality development, and strive to form a unique "personality" just like thousands of people. How to make it have both face and connotation remains to be further studied by the government and market players.
It’s not enough to just "eat and buy"
According to the 2019 Night Economic Development Report of China released by china tourism academy, most night tourists spend 1-4 hours, and 79.8% of them spend more than 2 hours. In the category of economic consumer goods at night, catering consumption accounts for more than 70%, and the "three strolls" of visiting parks, night markets and shopping lead outdoor night leisure activities.
Located in Tianjin "Ferris Wheel Night Market" on the banks of Haihe River, behind it is the online celebrity Ferris Wheel "Eye of Tianjin". At night, all kinds of food shops open their doors to welcome guests and attract diners to stop. In Hefei, Anhui Province, Gui Street is the most smoky place at night. This once messy "cottage" night market has become a new place for citizens to "go shopping" with a brand-new look.
On May 16th, tourists walked in the Aocheng Night Market block in Nankai District, Tianjin.
After the "May Day" holiday, the night in China began to be lively again. Night economy has not only become a "barometer" of economic and social recovery, but also a "gathering place" for the public after the epidemic. On the major short video apps, the paragraph about the night economy was once popular, and the old topic had a new heat.
Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu, Xi ‘an and other places have successively introduced policies and measures to promote the development of night economy, which have played a positive role in stimulating urban vitality, solving employment problems and meeting the consumer demand of the masses.
But in addition to "eating and buying", night economy should have richer connotations. Niu Lei, an associate researcher at Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the development of night economy in China is still in its infancy. She believes that night economy is a systematic project, which deepens people’s consumption patterns during the day. Although it is gradually expanding to multiple night consumption markets such as "food, travel, shopping, entertainment, sports, exhibitions and performances", most of them are still dominated by night tours, night markets and food streets, and the consumer markets such as entertainment, sports, exhibitions and performances need to be improved.
In April last year, Shanghai issued "Guiding Opinions on Promoting Night Economy Development in Shanghai", proposing to build a "Shanghai-style night economy" around "international norms", "Shanghai flavor" and "fashion trends", emphasizing the enrichment of business types and increasing the supply of cultural tourism projects. According to the relevant person in charge of Shanghai Culture and Tourism Bureau, Shanghai will do a good job in guiding and coordinating, promote more cultural tourism enterprises to join, provide people with differentiated and diversified nightlife choices, and take the opportunity of developing night economy to comprehensively improve the public service efficiency of cultural tourism.
On the evening of June 19th, a photographer shot at the interactive exhibition of holographic lights in Shanghai Blue Night Market.
The Policy and Measures for Accelerating Circulation and Promoting Commercial Consumption in Guangdong Province put forward that the night economy of culture and tourism should be developed, and the main business districts and characteristic commercial streets should be encouraged to be closely integrated with culture, tourism and leisure, focusing on creating the mode of "cultural tourism+performing arts", exploring the opening of museums at night, enriching the night cultural performance market and other consumption hotspots, and starting to improve supporting measures such as night traffic, safety and environment.
In Tianjin, in May this year, the Municipal Bureau of Commerce issued the "Top Ten Projects for Developing Night Economy in Tianjin (2020-2022)". "We hope to gradually get rid of the idea that night economy is catering snacks and food stalls, form a diversified night consumption market, combine night economy with tourism economy and online celebrity economy, and introduce experiential, entertaining and interactive diversified formats." Xu Fengcheng, director of the Market Construction Department of Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce, said.
The "coin B side" of night economy
At present, China’s consumption is recovering, and the night economy has become one of the activators to hedge the impact of the epidemic and boost economic confidence. However, in order to meet the demand of high quality, the night economy needs to face the realistic contradictions and problems.
Niu Lei and other experts believe that the current economic and cultural connotation is insufficient, and the consumption scene is still monotonous. "The homogenization of the format is serious, the structure is single, and there is a problem of blindly following the trend." Niu Lei said that the night economy in some places lacks cultural connotation and humanistic feelings and cannot meet the spiritual needs of consumers.
"As soon as many characteristic blocks are fresh, the flow of people will drop sharply, indicating that the format is not rich enough and product innovation is insufficient." He Junjie, deputy general manager of Hefei Qijie Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd. said.
The night economy in some places has not yet found a balance between standardization and "fireworks". In the past, the "dirty stall" model, which ignored environmental hygiene and food safety, was no longer feasible, and the blind pursuit of norms would damage the "market atmosphere" and "fireworks smell" of the night economy to a certain extent. Some interviewed citizens said: "The neat and uniform night market is not attractive at all."
In the process of night economic development, the problem of environmental pollution still exists, causing some citizens’ dissatisfaction. Such as waste and oil stains brought by open-air food stalls and beer squares; Smoke and dust generated by open-air barbecue are discharged directly; Noise pollution caused by crowd activities and light pollution caused by excessive lighting. Some experts believe that in the planning stage of night economic development, ecological environmental impact assessment should be carried out to minimize the occurrence of pollution and nuisance events and minimize the nuisance to the urban environment.
In addition, as the main body of night economy, operators also have many concerns. Some interviewees said: "There are many restrictions on night operation, and the policy changes greatly. I am afraid that I will hit Shui Piao in the early stage." Night booth rent, subsidies, and tax relief efforts all affect the enthusiasm and initiative of small business owners.
Patiently cultivate "fireworks" at night
Many experts and practitioners believe that it needs the patient cultivation and careful guidance of the government to truly make the night economy a new engine to stimulate urban consumption.
To develop night economy, it is necessary to strengthen the top-level design and formulate a work plan that adapts to local conditions and keeps pace with the times. Combine the business model, business types and business environment, make unified planning, scientifically and rationally lay out and build night economic blocks. Only by forming agglomeration effect and realizing complementary formats can we be "more lively at night". At the same time, supporting plans should be made for subway entrances, bus stops, road reconstruction, etc., so as to realize personnel drainage, design tourist routes, consider all work arrangements in an all-round way, and coordinate the joint support of traffic police, urban management, fire protection and other departments.
Many practitioners said that they are more looking forward to strengthening policy support. I hope the government will introduce more preferential policies to help it reduce operating costs and broaden operating channels. The government should also reduce unnecessary inspection and acceptance.
In order to truly promote the night economy to become "night fragrance" and "night beauty", we should guide it to develop in the direction of rich humanistic connotation and embodying the city’s inner details, and finally realize the unity of economic and social benefits. Dai Bin, Dean of china tourism academy, said that taking night tourism consumption as an example, the integration of culture and tourism not only has an urgent need and a solid foundation for consumption upgrading on the demand side, but also provides a feasible path for supply-side reform. The injection of new elements such as science and technology, education and fashion will react with basic resources like a catalyst, providing brand-new kinetic energy for the development of cultural tourism leisure industry from high-speed growth to high-quality integration.
Lai Youwei, president of Meituan Research Institute, believes that it can support the development of home service economy after 22: 00, develop "internet plus life service" such as catering and take-out in living areas where residents gather, expand the service scope of traditional night economy, and deliver convenient and fast night service directly to consumers’ homes.
In addition, it is necessary to improve urban night traffic, facilitate citizens to travel, and provide other good basic services. The so-called "people’s livelihood’s mouth, the face of the city, and the motivation of the merchants", the night economy needs to develop better, and all parties need to help form vitality and outline the "human touch" and "fireworks" of the city at night. (Reporter Bai Jiali Wang Aona)
3 high pattern: the rise of night culture
Thinking in the quiet night, expressing your feelings all the time, the night always has a different flavor.
The charm of the night is the romantic and tactful story, the poetic starry sky, and the whispering of the waterfall in the night. The long history is vast, and the land of China is never confined to a single form of night culture, and continues to dig deeper and create a higher pattern.
There is no shortage of stories at night.
In the traditional culture of China, the long night has become the stage where many stories take place.
In the dead of night, there is diligence in digging walls to borrow light; Evening rain, nostalgic for "cutting the western window candle together"; Friends in the middle of the night have not yet kept their appointments, and it is also interesting to "knock the chess pieces in snuff" alone; Instead of lamenting that life is short, it is better to have a free and easy "day is short and night is long, why not travel by candlelight". The hazy night provided a stage for poetic expression, which became the background of the gathering of scholars in The Night Banquet of Han Xizai and the opportunity for the appearance of the fox monster in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio. In ancient literary works, colorful nights never lack stories.
After the curfew system was abolished in the Song Dynasty, the night market in the city rose, and the night in literary works took on a different look. "Dream of Tokyo" records: "The night market did not reopen until the end of the third watch. If you play around, you will be familiar with it. " On a lively night, "the phoenix flute is moving, the jade pot is turning, and the fish and dragon dance all night."
Night view of Suzhou Netscape Park taken by drone.
Night is an important medium for expressing feelings. For example, romantic cultural activities such as putting lotus lanterns were popular in ancient times. Young people put their written poems into lotus lanterns in the hope of being picked up by girls or winning their hearts, similar to the current "drifting bottle" pen pals. At that time, children’s marriages were mostly arranged by their parents, and they were deliberately laid out, and the night of "the moon is hazy and the birds are hazy" undoubtedly provided a channel for young men and women to inadvertently meet people with destiny and fall in love freely.
There are ups and downs in the moon, and people have joys and sorrows. A song "Night after Night" sings the sadness of many lovelorn people-you don’t have to say that you love me far-fetched, let me drift in the quiet night sky. The sleepless night is boundless, and lovers are trapped in it, looking around, gathering and drifting, in order to reach the other side.
The night is not dull, this moment breeds a different style and imagination. The story about the night has never been cut off since ancient times. Until today, the night is also telling wonderful cultural stories.
When the neon lights in Chineydy, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, there were bursts of silk and bamboo sounds from high-rise buildings. This summer, Nanjing held a series of literary performances of "Meeting Jinling at Night". Artists in the fields of Yue Opera, folk music and magic broke through the stage performance form, brought the performances to the streets and lanes, and let the artistic atmosphere flow in the fireworks.
During the "May Day" period, the floating market was quietly opened on Canglangting Street in Suzhou. Pedestrians strolled in the streets where the night was four-in-one, watching the boss dressed in antique clothes busy, as if he were in Traveling in a pictorial world. Canglang Pavilion, a world cultural heritage, performed a live performance of Kunqu Opera Six Chapters of a Floating Life, and presented a beautiful cultural feast hand in hand with the world heritage.
If night is a perfect match for poetry and songs, it is better to say that night is a perfect match for our infinite yearning for beauty.
Poetry in the starry sky
The stars in the sky can talk. On a quiet night, we look up at the stars and look at ourselves. China people’s longing for the splendid starry sky has been extended to this day.
Video reporter: Liu Lei
The stars are shining in the dark night sky, and the astronomy enthusiasts in the night sky are also shining in their eyes, cheering for the recognition of each constellation. Every summer, many "idolize people" gather on the grassland near Minggatu Town, Zhengxiangbai Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which is far away from urban light pollution and provides excellent conditions for astronomy lovers to watch the stars.
"I can’t see too many stars in the city. This time I came to the grassland, the stars in the sky were particularly shocking!" Zhang Yingyue, a small astronomy enthusiast from Shandong, said, "I found Scorpio, Pegasus and Ophiuchus. The pleasure of watching constellations in the night sky is not available in books or mobile phones."
According to Li Jian, president of Astronomical Enthusiast magazine, with the development of astronomical science popularization in China and the development of space industry, more and more people began to pay attention to the starry sky, and many astronomical enthusiasts appeared in primary and secondary schools.
Starry sky vibration/photo taken by Minggatu observation base
Since 2005, Astronomical Enthusiast magazine has launched the Starry Sky Conference, which has been held in Qinghai, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Inner Mongolia and other places, attracting more than 2,000 people from all over the country, and has become a national star-watching exchange event.
Ma Linquan, a 13-year-old Beijing girl, has been an astronomy enthusiast for 10 years. The shy little girl became talkative when she talked about the starry sky. "When I look up at the starry sky, I feel the infinity of time and space, which makes me feel my own smallness, but I won’t feel inferior because of it. I want to explore the starry sky further." She said, her eyes shining with excitement, no less than the bright stars.
Wu Shiying, 71, is a farmer in Yunyang District, Shiyan City, Hubei Province. After watching a partial solar eclipse in 1987, he fell in love with idolize. In his home deep in the mountains, he built a small observatory on the roof, and also funded local primary schools and parents’ schools for left-behind children to build long-distance astronomical education bases.
Nowadays, Wu Shiying is either leading pupils to watch the stars at home or "idolize" all over the country. He said that compared with the infinite universe, 71 years old is nothing. Stargazing makes people active and young.
Protect the darkness of the night
"The night is so beautiful, there are always people who stay up at night with black eyes." "Three days and three nights in the middle of the night, don’t stop dancing …"
As the lyrics say, with the fiery night life and the development of night economy, more and more places are lit with neon lights, but there are also many places that choose to turn off the lights at an appropriate time and still be authentic at night.
According to the "World Artificial Night Sky Brightness Atlas" released in 2016, about 4/5 people on the earth live under light pollution because of the "artificial daylight" formed by lights, and more than 1/3 people can’t see the Milky Way even on the clearest night.
In order to control light pollution and protect the darkness of night, a work called "night protection" is being carried out in many places in China. The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation established the Starry Sky Working Committee in 2015, which is dedicated to night protection, popularization of night culture, development of night reserves and night parks where conditions permit, and provision of places for society to explore and enjoy the starry sky.
Ren Xiaodong, an expert involved in night protection, said: "The lights in the city can’t be extinguished, but I hope that where conditions permit, we can keep a dark night and let everyone see the bright starry sky."
In 2014, the first night park in China was established in Ali, Tibet. At present, night protection sites have been established in Ali and Naqu, Tibet, Honggu in Taihang, Shanxi, Yeludang in Jiangsu and Ge Yuan in Jiangxi.
In recent years, the protection of dark night has gradually moved from deep mountain grassland to cities, and many cities have put forward measures to control light pollution when planning urban lighting schemes.
Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, put forward the concept of "black sky" in the "Master Plan of Urban Lighting in Hangzhou (Revised)" issued last year, which is the first city in China to introduce the concept of black sky into the urban lighting planning system.
According to Wang Xiaodong, head of the planning team and director of the Institute of Light and Environment Design of the Architectural Design Institute of Zhejiang University, the concept of "black sky" was put forward to return the right to look at the stars to children and the quiet night to animals and plants. "Let the bright place light up, but also let the dark place darken."
According to the plan, Hangzhou will set up black sky areas in nine types of areas, such as Xixi National Wetland Park, Liangzhu Site Protection Area and Forest Park Core Area. These areas can be equipped with functional lighting street lamps, but no landscape lighting is set at all. Under the premise of meeting the lighting demand, part of the city’s sky will be darker.
In the process of rapid development of nightlife and night economy, we must also protect the beauty of nature. The night protection work carried out in various places is returning the starry night to the public. (Reporter Liu Yide Wei Yuyu)
(Published in Internal Edition of Half-monthly Talk, No.8, 2020)
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