Ordinary folks might be reluctant to light candles due to the cost, but shop owners running restaurants and teahouses didn’t have such concerns. If it weren’t for the control of the ancient government, a rather spectacular night market could form around these establishments.

Ⅰ. The Mysterious Night Watchmen

In ancient China, the curfew generally lasted from around 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning. During this time, city gates and markets were closed. In ancient times when there were no clocks or mobile phones, people needed to know the time at night. Thus, an essential profession emerged – the night watchmen , who were specifically tasked with telling people the time at night. These mysterious night watchmen (打更人), known as “更夫” in Chinese, patrolled along fixed streets in pairs. They used the sounds of gongs beating them by wooden clappers while announcing the time and constantly raising people’s awareness of fire prevention, saying, “The weather is dry, be careful with fire.” If they spotted a fire in any area, they would immediately sound the gong to raise the alarm. The slogans and gong – beating rhythms differed for period at night. Only when the curfew ended did the night watchmen call it a day.

In ancient times, the government always tried to regulate the daily routines of the common people. When Jing Jiang (敬姜), the wife of Duke Huan of Lu (鲁桓公), was educating her son as recorded in Guoyu (《国语》), she said that in order to prevent people from becoming overly idle and having evil thoughts, the daily schedules of everyone, from the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords to the common folk, should be well arranged. The scholar Ge Zhaoguang (葛兆光) once summarized, “In a sense, managing people’s daily schedules is also managing social order. Only when everyone marches in unison and the time is consistent across different regions will people feel that they belong to a ‘nation’ and a ‘country’.”

Ⅱ. The Evolution of China’s Curfew System

Generally speaking, China’s curfew system originated in the Zhou Dynasty, was strengthened in the Tang Dynasty, relaxed in the Song Dynasty, and re-established in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ancient curfew system went through a total of five stages: the initial establishment period, the continuation period, the consolidation period, the relaxation period, and the re-establishment period.

Among them, the Tang Dynasty was the era when the implementation of the “curfew” system was the most stringent in history (influenced by the “fangshi/坊市” system, a system of separating residential areas/“坊” and commercial areas/“市”). It was not until the third year of the Qiande era of the Song Dynasty, when Emperor Taizu of Song issued an imperial edict stating that “Pedestrians should not be prohibited before the third watch of the night”, that the curfew system began to relax. The boundaries between residential and commercial areas were not as distinct as in previous dynasties, and private nighttime commercial activities gradually became more liberalized. However, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the curfew system was strengthened once again.

Ⅲ. The Purposes of the Birth of China’s Curfew System

The first reason is related to the daily routine rules of the agricultural society. Ancient China boasted a splendid agricultural civilization, and the ancients adhered to the routine of “rising at sunrise and resting at sunset.” After all, if one went to farm at night, without lights, it would be impossible to even plant vegetables. Not to mention, there was a risk of getting lost or accidentally stepping into someone else’s vegetable field to farm, which would be a great loss.

The second reason is that without street lamps at night, there were high safety risks in nighttime activities. For example, chaotic behaviors such as robberies, thefts, and brawls were likely to occur. Reducing people’s nighttime outings could, to a certain extent, protect people’s safety.

The third reason is that at night, it was easiest for the government to lose control over the common people. Besides gambling and theft, the most serious problem was plotting rebellion. For instance, during the Tang and Song dynasties, officials noticed that there were often groups of people “gathering together at night and dispersing at dawn” in various places. They immediately felt a sense of urgency, because these people were likely to be followers of the “食菜事魔” (Manichaeism, also known as the “Evil Religion”). They should be arrested and punished. Therefore, in most periods of ancient China, there were decrees regarding curfews. Every time dusk fell, the city gates were locked, and each residential area was also sealed off. Without important matters, people were not allowed to walk on the streets. Otherwise, it was called “violating the night curfew” and they would be punished.  

Ⅳ. Severe Punishments for Violators

In ancient times, there was a curfew system. If someone violated the curfew, they were said to have committed the crime of “breaking the night curfew,” which was a unique crime in ancient times. For those who committed this crime, the punishment could range from being whipped, suffering physical pain for a lighter offense, to being arrested and imprisoned for the more serious charge of disturbing public order.

How severe were the punishments for those who broke the night curfew? Here’s an extreme example related to Cao Cao (曹操). When he served as the Northern Captain of Luoyang, he had the uncle of “蹇硕” (a favorite courtier of the emperor) executed by flogging, simply because the uncle had violated the curfew. However, most curfew violators wouldn’t receive such a harsh punishment. According to the Great Qing Legal Code (《大清律》), they were usually given 30 to 50 strokes of the cane. Those who resisted arrest would be given a hundred strokes of the cane.  

Chang’an City in the Tang Dynasty was a model in implementing the curfew order. In the urban planning of Chang’an City, the commercial areas and residential areas were strictly separated. The business hours of the East and West Markets were from noon to dusk. When dusk came, the Chengtianmen in Chang’an City would beat the drum four hundred times, and all the city gates would be closed. After the drum was beaten another six hundred times, all the gates of the “residential areas” within the city would be shut, and pedestrians were prohibited from walking at night. Walking on the street between the night drum and the dawn drum was considered a violation of the curfew, and violators would be whipped twenty times.

What if one came back late by accident? The Taiping Guangji (《太平广记》) records such a story: During the Tianbao period, Zhang Wushi (张无是), a resident of Buzhengfang, was walking on the street when the night drum suddenly stopped and all the gates of the residential areas were closed. In desperation, he had to crouch under a bridge for the whole night.

The curfew system during the Ming and Qing dynasties remained strict. In the inner city of Beijing during the Qing Dynasty (roughly within today’s Second Ring Road), there were fences at the entrance of every hutong (alleyway). There were 116 such fences within the Imperial City and 1,199 outside it. These fences were locked every night, making it extremely difficult for the residents of the inner city to enjoy a nightlife. Today, Beijing is brightly lit at night, but in ancient times, it was rather desolate and quiet.

Summary

We often see in TV dramas those dreamy night scenes with twinkling lights. The hero and heroine stand there, looking at the beautiful view and making all those heart – melting promises to each other. It sometimes makes us think, “Gosh, I wish I could just hop into that era!” But in reality, that kind of fairy – tale life was only for the rich. And it was also tied down by different times and dynasties. After all the thinking, we gotta admit that modern times are way better. In ancient times, there were so many restrictions. You couldn’t go here, you couldn’t go there. So, was ancient Chinese nightlife really just stuck indoors? Well, stay tuned for the next blog, where we’ll dig deep into the outdoor nightlife in ancient China.