Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 537 Ukiyoe

"Baozi, hot buns. Delicious and not expensive, two for one cent."

"Newly brewed wine, a specialty of Yangzhou, sweet in the mouth, no money if it doesn't taste good."

"Dad, I want to eat candy man"

"Mom, I want to go to the community opera."
At the Chang'an Railway Station in the Han Dynasty, there were constant hawking sounds and a bustling crowd.

长安火车站始建于1880年，由德国泰来洋行承接修建。1880年10月17日动工，1883年3月24日建成通车，是本土地区最重要的铁路枢纽之一。

To the west of the station is the Chang'an urban area, to the northwest is the imperial palace, to the south is the diplomatic embassy area, and to the east is the commercial and trade area.

Chang'an Railway Station has a construction area of ​​18500 square meters. The station building is in traditional Chinese style, with 2 underground floors and 3 above-ground floors.

The building materials are mainly green bricks and stones, the eaves are reinforced and supported by wooden beams, and the roof is decorated with colored glaze in different colors such as blue, purple, black, emerald, peacock green, and sapphire blue. The eaves of the front gate of the railway station are carved with images of mythical animals such as dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, and phoenixes, which are lifelike, majestic and magnificent, and graceful and classical, highlighting the inheritance and charm of the long-standing oriental culture.

There are 7 platforms in the station, each about 400 meters long.
There are corridors and seats along the platform for passengers to rest and shelter from the rain while waiting.

There are 16 departure lines, each 400 to 500 meters long.

There is a gate on the western wall of the station, leading to Chang'an City. Starting from the gate, go straight for 7 kilometers, pass Chunming Gate, and you will enter the city. There is a waiting room at the east end of the station. The ordinary waiting room is located in the building, and there are separate waiting rooms for the first and second trains. The total area of ​​the waiting hall is 5000 square meters.

Due to the rapid development of railway transportation, the increase in train frequencies, and the doubling of personnel flow, the bearing pressure of Chang'an Railway Station has increased dramatically. In order to alleviate the transportation pressure, according to the plan reserved in the original design, the Gyeonggi Province and Chang'an Municipal Government are preparing to carry out the second phase expansion project. At the same time, they will apply to the central government to add a railway station in the south and north of Chang'an to meet the growing personnel flow and transportation needs.

Chang'an Railway Station carries more than 4 passengers per day. The frequent and convenient flow of people not only strengthens the capital's control over various regions and policy implementation, but also drives the development and prosperity of commerce in the areas surrounding the railway station.

Standing within a few kilometers of the train station, you can see the army changing guard, merchants and civilians from all over the country, as well as merchants and adventurers from Western countries such as Germany, Britain, France, and Austria-Hungary. At the same time, as time entered the last decade of the 19th century and the influence of the Han Dynasty continued to spread, merchants, officials, and nobles from Korea, Japan, Annan, South Asia, the Middle East, etc. also appeared on the train from time to time.

The old and the new, people of different cultural backgrounds, skin colors, and countries came to Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, with different purposes. The train station was filled with whistles and bustling people.

A bustling commercial street full of life,

People from all walks of life, with ruddy faces and eyes full of longing and hope,
If you stand on the top of Mount Taihua and look into the distance with a telescope, the Chang'an Railway Station not far away will look like a colorful and vibrant painting of urban customs.

As if attracted by the scene at the train station, at around eight or nine in the morning, outside a Chinese restaurant near Chang'an Railway Station, a man in his forties or fifties, wearing white traditional Korean clothes and unkempt, sometimes focused his eyes on the canvas, sometimes looked in the direction of the commercial street, and the position of the paintbrush in his hand changed from time to time as his gaze shifted.

"Everyone, young and old, although my ancestral home is Jiaozhou, I admire your majesty's great achievements. With a sincere heart, I left my home and career, braved hardships and dangers, and traveled thousands of miles across the ocean to join the empire." On the street sidewalk less than ten meters away from the restaurant, a young man in his twenties wearing a gray long coat and short hair set up a long table and bowed to everyone, saying, "

The Qing court was unjust and condemned by both humans and gods. All people with lofty ideals should abandon darkness and join hands with the light to create the great cause of Chinese rejuvenation. When I was a child, my family was poor. My parents suffered from famine and starved to death at home. I wandered the streets since I was young and survived by the kindness of neighbors who gave me leftovers. Later, I met a storyteller who took pity on me and took me in as an apprentice. He taught me the skill of storytelling, and I managed to make a living.

When I came to our South American mainland, I wanted to join the industry, agriculture, animal husbandry, and national defense like you all. Unfortunately, I suffered from hunger and cold since I was a child, and I fell ill on the way to South America by boat. I managed to recover with great difficulty, but I was left with a disease. I had no choice but to go back to my old job and make a living by telling stories. "

Seeing the young man telling his own experiences in a very detailed manner, several kind-hearted Chinese women took out a few coins of 1 cent and cents and put them in the box beside him before the man officially started telling the story.

"Thank you ladies for the gifts. You are kind and blessed people. You will have a prosperous life in the future. Your career will flourish, your descendants will be successful in the imperial examinations, and within two generations, you will surely have a top scholar."

"Haha, little brother, our country doesn't have the imperial examination system, and we don't have the number one and number three positions."

This caused a burst of laughter among the crowd.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I was just talking so much that I accidentally mentioned what happened in the Far East. Please forgive me."

The storyteller had a seemingly honest smile on his face and continued, "But, speaking of that, although the imperial examination system no longer exists in our country, the college entrance examination is almost the same as the imperial examination. Moreover, if you pass the college entrance examination and enter university, after graduation, whether you enter a government department, a state-owned enterprise, the military, or various private companies, there are many more options than the imperial examination. If you are admitted to a first-class university such as Chang'an University, Xinjing University, the Imperial Army Academy, the Imperial Naval Academy, etc., it is almost the same as passing the imperial examination. After graduation, no matter what job you do, you will have a bright future. What do you think, is this the truth?"

"That's right. Graduating from a top university, entering a government department or studying abroad can all lead to a good future, but it's not better than passing the imperial examination."

"Passing the imperial examination does not necessarily mean you can be a candidate for an official position. In the Far East, even if you pass the imperial examination, let alone become a Jinshi, if you don't have the money or connections to buy an official position, you can only be a candidate official and live in poverty."

Studying, engaging in politics and joining the army are traditions and beliefs deeply rooted in the Chinese people, especially after the imperial central government implemented policies such as compulsory five-year compulsory education and school subsidies for poor children. Even if the parents had just moved to the mainland and were penniless, they would rather grit their teeth and apply for loans and education subsidies from the empire to give their children a chance to go to school and change their fate. All things are inferior, only studying is superior. Even though the Han Dynasty has vigorously promoted industry equality for more than 20 years, studying, engaging in politics and joining the army are still the industries that people from all walks of life are most keen to engage in.

"Without further ado, today I will tell you a story about a great hero and a great man.

Speaking of heroes, you may not be convinced. Heroes? In terms of achievements and accomplishments, which historical figure in the past three hundred years can compare to His Majesty the Emperor? Which historical figure could defeat powerful enemies and overcome difficulties and setbacks in the dangerous situation Your Majesty faced, and in just over twenty years, conquer a splendid country of 500 million square kilometers! "

The storyteller slammed the gavel, full of energy and solemn expression, "That's right! The great hero I want to talk about today is His Majesty the Emperor! The history I want to tell is how His Majesty led a group of Han Chinese men from less than a thousand miners to launch an uprising and defeat Peru, Bolivia, the Brazilian Empire, Argentina, Chile and other countries. This is a history of entrepreneurship and heroism!"

"it is good!"

A loud shout broke out from the crowd.

(End of this chapter)