重慶第一款牙刷叫“新民牌”

◇ 文 |本刊記者 圖 |

在南濱路五船路口（今周家灣63號），有一棟中西合璧的磚石木混合結(jié)構(gòu)建筑，兩樓一底，坐北朝南，依山臨江。

時值初秋，青藤爬滿窗欞、墻體，以及正面高大的西班牙式的拱廊，整棟樓包裹在綠色藤蔓之中，猶如一棟幽冥古堡孤單地佇立在路旁。

走近細看，門楣上“1915”的刻字依舊清晰，顯示這座老宅已歷百年。這就是當年卜內(nèi)門洋行的舊址，是英商卜內(nèi)門公司在重慶的總經(jīng)銷地。

1891年重慶開埠，開啟了中國西南地區(qū)的對外通商口岸。自此，先后有50余家外國洋行陸續(xù)在重慶設(shè)立分部，通商貿(mào)易。這些洋行見證了重慶的開放發(fā)展，也深刻影響著重慶人的日常生活，卜內(nèi)門洋行就是當年眾多洋行之一。

20世紀初，卜內(nèi)門公司幾乎獨占了中國的純堿市場，也是重慶最大的洋堿生產(chǎn)公司，它所生產(chǎn)的白洋堿、洋火、白洋礬等物資，更是改變了重慶人的生活方式。

At the Wuchuan Intersection of Nanbin Road(now it is called No. 63 of Zhoujiawan), there is a mixed structure building of brick, masonry and wood with a combination of Chinese and Western architecture. The building has three floors, faces south and is near the mountain and the river.

In the early autumn, the windows, walls and the grande Spanish-style arcades were covered by sinomenium acutum. The whole building was wrapped in green sinomenium acutum, like a lonely castle standing alone on the roadside.

If you get a closer look, you will notice that the“1915” carved on the head of the door is still clear,showing that the house has been in existence more than a hundred tears. This is the former site of Bruner& Mond Co. Ltd. as well as the distribution place of the company in Chongqing.

In 1891, the commercial port in Chongqing was established, which opens the ports to the world of the Southwest China. Since then, more than 50 foreign companies have successively set up branches in Chongqing. All of them witnessed the openness and development of Chongqing, and the daily life of residents in Chongqing were greatly changed, Bruner& Mond Co. Ltd. is a good example.

As the largest company producing alkali in Chongqing,Bruner & Mond Co. Ltd. monopolized the alkali market of China at the early 20th century. The materials such as white alkali, match and alum made by foreign companies even changed the lives of Chongqing people.

白洋堿，老重慶人用來洗衣服

The Natives of Chongqing Used White Alkali to Wash Clothes

張川耀老人是土生土長的南岸人，就出生在下浩上葡萄院街，和卜內(nèi)門比鄰。張川耀祖母年輕時就曾在卜內(nèi)門當過包裝工，祖母曾向張川耀講述過她在卜內(nèi)門的工作經(jīng)歷。

張川耀說，當時卜內(nèi)門所生產(chǎn)的堿實際上是一種白堿，因為是洋人在重慶開廠所造，所以又叫白洋堿。白洋堿由燒堿和其他化學(xué)產(chǎn)品混合而成，主要是用來洗衣服。

張川耀回憶道：“祖母說白洋堿不是純白色，是帶一點灰色的。根據(jù)功能來分，卜內(nèi)門生產(chǎn)的洋堿有兩種形狀，一種是原柱型，但是它卻不是標準的圓柱形，下面底部的直徑約3公分，上面直徑大概5公分，高5公分的樣子，擺在一起有點像一塊塊的糕點，還有一種是四方形，長10～12公分，寬6～7公分，厚2～3公分?！?/p>

在這之前，人們都是用皂角或者油皂角來洗衣服，油皂角是一種栗色的果實，葡萄大小，將它的皮掐破后，流出來的汁漿和皂角的功能是一樣的。還有一種就是草木灰，草木灰水中含有堿，濾水洗衣服也有去污作用。

因為白洋堿的去污效果比皂角好，特別是能去除油漬和汗?jié)n。一時間，白洋堿開始在重慶流行起來。

不過白洋堿去污效果固然好，腐蝕性也很強，對衣服的損害比較大?！爱敃r重慶人都是穿青藍二色布料做的衣服，用白洋堿洗，衣服容易脫色。”張川耀說，“白洋堿與現(xiàn)在的肥皂類似，但是白洋堿的質(zhì)地要比肥皂干硬很多，每次洗衣服時，都需要用開水來溶解?！?/p>

在20 世紀20至40年代，重慶人普遍都在用白洋堿，一直到50年代，肥皂才開始逐漸盛行，取代白洋堿。

Zhang Chuanyao was born and grew up in Shangputaoyuan Street of Xiahao, Nan’an, and here is adjacent to Bruner & Mond. The grandma of Zhang Chuanyao worked as a packer at Bruner & Mond when she was young. She told Zhang Chuanyao about her work experience at Bruner & Mond.

According to Zhang Chuanyao, what Bruner & Mond actually produced is a kind of white alkali. Because the factory was built by foreigners in Chongqing, it was called white alkali made by foreign companies. The white alkali is a mixture of caustic soda and other chemical products, mainly used to wash clothes.

“My grandma said that white alkali is not pure white but a little gray, recalled by Zhang Chuanyao. According to the shapes, the alkali produced by Bruner & Mond can be divided into two types, one is the cylinder-shaped with a bottom diameter of about 3 cm, the upper diameter of about 5 cm and the height of 5 cm, and they are like several pieces of cake; the other is the square-shaped with the length of 10～12 cm,the width of 6～7 cm wide and the thickness of 2～3 cm. ”

Prior to this, people used to wash the clothes with saponins or oil saponins. The oil saponin is a kind of maroon fruit with the size of the grape, after breaking its skin, the juice in it shall be used to wash clothes just like saponins. People also used to wash clothes with potash, and the alkali contained in the potash also has the effect of cleaning.

The cleaning effect of white alkali is better than saponin, especially for the cleaning of oil stain and sweat stain. Thus, the white alkali was becoming popular in Chongqing.

However, the white alkali has both the better cleaning effect and high corrosivity, which has the great damage to clothes. “At that time, people in Chongqing wore clothes made of blue green and blue fabrics, and the clothes were easily discolored when washing with white alkali.” Said Zhang Chuanyao. “White alkali is similar to soap, but the texture of white alkali is much harder than soap, and it needs to be resolved by using boiling water when washing clothes. ”

From 1920s to 1940s, people in Chongqing generally used white alkali. Until the 1950s, soap began to prevail and replaced white alkali.

“新民牌”豬鬃牙刷，原是重慶第一支牙刷

Bristle Tooth-brush of “Xinmin Brand”, the First Tooth-brush in Chognqing

卜內(nèi)門洋行系抗戰(zhàn)之前重慶最大的洋堿經(jīng)銷商，也是重慶最大最早的日用化工制造企業(yè)，比如它當時生產(chǎn)的一種白洋礬，就是現(xiàn)在的明礬，解決了重慶人用水的水質(zhì)問題。

二十世紀初期，重慶普遍沒有自來水，市民飲用水靠的全是兩江水，尤其到每年汛期，江水渾濁。有了白洋礬后，裝在有孔的竹筒內(nèi)，在水里一攪，頓時泥沙沉底濁水變清。一時間，白洋礬在重慶廣受歡迎。

此外，卜內(nèi)門洋人見當時中國人幾乎都沒刷牙的習(xí)慣，很多人年紀輕輕牙就壞掉了，就是很講究的上層人士、上得廳堂的太太、知書達理的公子小姐，也只不過早上起來用帕子蘸上食鹽在口中磨擦幾下，權(quán)當洗牙。

卜內(nèi)門的洋買辦由此發(fā)現(xiàn)大好商機，于是立馬籌措組織竹制豬鬃牙刷和牙粉的生產(chǎn)。

張川耀說當時的牙刷樣子和現(xiàn)在的類似，只是更為粗糙：“由楠竹制成一塊直柄的竹片，在竹片的一頭打孔，扎入豬鬃就成了牙刷。”這種牙刷取名叫“新民牌”，是重慶乃至內(nèi)陸的第一枚牙刷。

“至于‘新民牌’牙粉嘛，很簡單，用一個鐵盒裝著，胭脂粉的盒?！睆埓ㄒ呎f邊用手比劃著鐵盒的大小，“里面白色的粉末有香味，又能去污垢，去口臭，受到了大家的歡迎?！?/p>

很快，卜內(nèi)門生產(chǎn)的“新民牌”牙刷、牙粉就暢銷云貴川和湘鄂等省。卜內(nèi)門當時工人并不多，包括包裝工、生產(chǎn)工、鍋爐工等在內(nèi)，也只有二三十個人。在供不應(yīng)求的鼎盛時期，卜內(nèi)門決定只負責(zé)機器加工牙刷竹柄和打孔，把手工操作的豬鬃穿扎工序交給毗鄰住戶，因此下浩周家灣一帶，幾乎家家戶戶都會扎牙刷。

Bruner & Mond Co. Ltd. was the largest dealer of alkali as well as the largest daily chemical manufacturer in Chongqing before the World WarⅡ.For example, the white alum produced at that time was the alum today, which solved the water quality problem of Chongqing.

In the early 20th century, there was no tap water in Chongqing. The drinking water of the citizens were from Liangjiang rivers, and the water was muddy especially in the flood season. Put white alum in a thick bamboo tube with holes, stir it in the water, and the sands shall sink to the bottom and the muddy water shall be clear. The white alum was becoming popular in Chongqing.

In addition, the foreigners of Bruner & Mond found that the Chinese, even the exquisite people in upper class, the sociable madams and the cultured children of the wealthy had almost no habit of brushing their teeth. The teeth of many people were broken at their young age.

The Marketing Department of Bruner & Mond found the great business opportunities, so they immediately organized the production of bristle toothbrush and tooth powder.

Zhang Chuanyao said that the shape of the toothbrush at the time was similar to that of the present one, but it was even rougher: “the toothbrush is made by punching a hole in a bamboo handle and inserting bristles.” This type of toothbrush was named “Xinmin Brand”, and it was the first toothbrush brand in Chongqing even in Mainland China.

“The tooth powder was put in a tin box, a box used for putting rouge powder.” Zhang Chuanyao said and gesticulate the size of the tin box. “The white powder inside is scented, and it can wash away dirt and remove bad breath. It has been welcomed by everyone. ”

Soon, the “Xinmin Brand” toothbrush and tooth powder produced by Bruner & Mond were sold well in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces. However, Bruner & Mond had only 20-30 workers at the time, including packagers, production workers and boiler workers. In the heyday of supply shortage, Bruner & Mond decided to only produce the bamboo handle and punching of the toothbrush, and handed the hand-operated bristle puncture process to the neighboring households. Therefore, in the area around Zhoujiawan, Xiahao, almost everyone master the technique of making toothbrush.

從火鐮到洋火，重慶人變了引火方式

The Kindling Method of Chongqing Changed from Steel to Match

張川耀轉(zhuǎn)述祖母的回憶說：“每逢月中和月末的大比期，洋行除發(fā)給我們做工的銅錢，還給我們發(fā)工廠生產(chǎn)的日化用品，包括一塊白洋堿、一砣洋礬，還有一包洋火等等?！?/p>

在很長一段時間，老百姓的取火依靠火鐮和火石，但取火效率并不高，也并不是所有人都能順利用火鐮取上火。張川耀說，“我的母親還有祖母取火就很費力，早上母親就把哥哥和姐姐們叫出去，拿著紙媒子，去街上的人家把火引回來?！?/p>

紙媒子是用很粗糙的紙搓成筷子粗細，裝在竹筒里。哪一家有火，就用紙媒子去引，引燃后再吹熄，拿回家重新用火鐮就比較容易點燃了，“那時候人們就是這樣過來的，早上為了取火做飯，有時要走上半條街才引得到火?！?/p>

洋火的出現(xiàn)，很大程度上解決了重慶人取火難題。當時洋火實際上叫“粗磷洋火”，樣子與現(xiàn)在的安全火柴類似，只是它的火柴頭是黃色的。但是洋火也有弊端，“粗磷火柴的擦皮很粗糙，就像粗砂一樣，經(jīng)常擦不燃?！睆埓ㄒf。

“并且粗磷火柴的磷質(zhì)量較差，很容易自燃。”張川耀回憶，“記得父親有次抽煙，剛把火柴抽出來，那根火柴就和整個火柴盒一起爆燃了，當時我父親整只手的皮全部都燙傷了。”

隨著時間的推移，洋火開始更新?lián)Q代，漸漸生產(chǎn)出了安全火柴。

抗戰(zhàn)后期，由于原材料緊缺，卜內(nèi)門洋行不得不關(guān)閉業(yè)務(wù)離開重慶。如今，洋礬、洋堿早也已退出我們的生活。只有一座舊樓佇立，目睹滄桑變化。

The grandma of Zhang Chuanyao said:“Every time in the competition period at the middle and the end of the month, in addition to the copper coins,Bruner & Mond shall also gave us the daily necessities produced by the factory, including a piece of white alkali and white alum, as well as a pack of match. ”

People used to kindle by using steel and flint for a long time, however, the the failure of kindling occurred frequently. Zhang Chuanyao said, “The candling was hard for my mother and grandma. Every morning, my mother called my brother and sister to candle the paper tube from neighbor and take it back home. ”

It is made by twisting the paper into the shape of chopstick, and put it into the thick bamboo tube. If we heard there is a fire at our neighbor, we will first go to there to candle our paper tube, then blow it out and take it to home. “People live in this way at that time.In the morning, we need to ask for many neighbors to find the fire for cooking. ”

The emergence of match has largely solved the problem of fire in Chongqing. It was actually called“coarse-phosphorus match”, which was similar to the current safe match, except that its yellow match head. However, it still has disadvantages, “The skin of coarse-phosphorus match is very rough, and it is difficult to burn.” Said Zhang Chuanyao.

“Furthermore, the phosphorus quality of it is poor and it is easy to spontaneously ignite.” Zhang Chuanyao recalled, “I remember that my father’s entire hand was burnt by the match when he took a stick of match to light up a cigarette.”

As time went by, the match began to be replaced,and a safe match was gradually produced.

In the latter period of the War, due to the shortage of raw materials, Bruner & Mond Co. Ltd. had to close its business and leave Chongqing. Today, alums and alkalis have disappeared in our daily life. There is only one old building standing there and witnessing the changes of the city.