Xinglong Street

Xinglong Street

In the ancient city of Taonan, there is an old street that still retains its charm from a hundred years ago. Like a living historical scroll, it authentically records the prosperity of Taonan’s modern commerce, the appearance of a strategic stronghold, and the unfolding of stories that should have happened—or shouldn’t have.

Xinglong Street is situated in the northern half of Taonan’s urban area, stretching 2 kilometers from east to west and spanning over 20 meters in width. Over a hundred years ago, this place was a commercial hub and a symbol of strategic importance for both the Northeast and Inner Mongolia. Its status as a commercial center is supported by historical evidence. As early as the Han Dynasty, this area was a key route on the Northern Silk Road leading to Mongolia and Russia, while the Tao’er River served as an essential crossing for northern ethnic minorities traveling to Chang’an to pay tribute during the Tang Dynasty. Whether as a stop along the Silk Road or a tribute crossing, the convergence of people inevitably gave rise to commerce. The flourishing trade of Taonan indeed had seeds sown by its ancestors. Moreover, throughout the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, and the Republican era, rulers established administrative posts here and deployed heavy military forces to guard the area, underscoring its significance as a strategic stronghold.

As we stroll along Xinglong Street, we can still see dozens of merchant buildings that retain traces of their former glory. According to elders, in those days, shops lined both sides of the street, dealing in gold and silver jewelry, fabrics and dyes, silk and linen, medicinal herbs and tonics, hardware and ironwork, clothing, hats, shoes, socks, tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, and more. Even mountain dwellers from the Greater Khingan Mountains hundreds of kilometers away came here to trade, bringing products such as deer antlers, ginseng, and lingzhi mushrooms to Xinglong Street merchants for authentication and certification before selling them to the Central Plains. They would proudly boast to buyers: “No mistake—authenticated by Xinglong Street in Taonan.” Regardless of how many merchants there were at the time, within Taonan’s urban area, the street saw a constant flow of vehicles daily, including horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws—equivalent to today’s taxis—that numbered in the hundreds.

In the middle section of Xinglong Street, three buildings stand out particularly: the Wu Marshal Mansion, Tiannendi Bureau, and Daxing Pawnshop.

The Wu Marshal Mansion is a European-style architectural complex about 20 meters high, designed in the Gothic style. It once served as the commercial offices and official residence of Wu Junsheng, a Republican-era lieutenant general, military governor of the Taoliao region, and military commander of Heilongjiang Province. Such a grand European-style building was unparalleled in small and medium-sized cities in the Northeast. In the early years of the Republic, Wu Junsheng led troops to station in Taonan, deploying two brigades to guard the strategic stronghold, which deterred Japanese invaders from encroaching on the border and helped quell the Uta Rebellion. Without delving into his military exploits, let’s focus on a story from his personal life that reflects the unconventional existence of this “tongue-tied” general—“holding beauty’s wrist while asleep, grasping the power of the realm upon waking.” Wu’s fifth concubine (referred to as the third concubine in novels and TV dramas), Li Zhujun, was originally a star actress of the “Nenjiang Troupe.” During a performance, she captivated Wu completely. At the time, Wu was already over sixty, with a large household of wives and concubines, but he was a seasoned ladies’ man, and once he set his sights on a target, she rarely escaped. He offered ten thousand silver dollars to the troupe leader, using both coercion and persuasion, to take her as his concubine. Though Wu was strict with his wives and concubines, his fifth concubine, still in her prime, grew restless and lonely, eventually having an affair with an adjutant—which Wu discovered. However, Wu, being the formidable figure he was, knew that making a scandal public would only bring shame upon himself. So, under the guise of promoting charity, he built a nunnery on the southwestern outskirts of Taonan. On the day of its completion, he took his wives and concubines there and deliberately asked for the fifth concubine’s opinion. Unaware of his intentions, Li Zhujun remarked, “This place is quiet and elegant, perfect for spiritual practice.” Wu responded, “Then follow your heart—you have the aura of an immortal, and after a period of tranquil cultivation, you will surely achieve enlightenment.” From then on, the fifth concubine remained in seclusion, tending to the solitary lamp...

Tiannendi Bureau is another famous historic building on Xinglong Street. During the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Wutai, the twelfth-generation prince of the Jasaghtu Khanate, was heavily in debt and began illegally leasing wasteland and embezzling lease revenues. When the imperial court discovered this, the practice was abolished, and the land was placed under official management, leading to the establishment of the “Menghuang Administration Bureau.” While Wutai was suspended from office but allowed to remain in his position, he modeled the construction of this “princely administrative office” after the layout of the mansions on Beijing’s Dongdan and Xidan. It successively served as the office for the “Menghuang Administration Bureau” and the “Taonan Prefecture.” As the “Menghuang Administration Bureau,” Emperor Guangxu personally inscribed and bestowed the golden plaque “Tiannendi Bureau,” featuring intaglio European-style calligraphy and the inscription “Bestowed by Emperor Guangxu” beneath, which was hung above the entrance gate of the second courtyard. This is the origin of the name Tiannendi Bureau... During the Liberation War, revolutionary leaders and military strategists such as Tao Zhu and Deng Hua worked here.

Although not particularly conspicuous on Xinglong Street, Daxing Pawnshop is closely linked to a major historical event in China—the spark that ignited the shocking “September 18th Incident.” On June 25, 1931, Japanese military spy Captain Nakamura Shintaro and his team of four were conducting espionage in the Xing’an region under the jurisdiction of Taonan Prefecture when they were captured and secretly executed by the Tuntian Army unit led by Guan Yuheng. Aside from sending evidence of their espionage to Fengtian and Beiping, the Tuntian Army disposed of the bodies, horses, and other materials by burning them. However, a quartermaster in the Tuntian Army, tempted by greed, stole Nakamura’s gold watch and pawned it at Daxing Pawnshop on Xinglong Street. Meanwhile, a Japanese spy named Uematsu Kikuko, who was involved with an officer of the Tuntian Army, got him drunk and extracted the truth. She quickly reported the situation to the head of the Japanese secret service, Doihara Kenji. Doihara immediately traveled to Taonan, purchased the gold watch from Daxing Pawnshop, and used it as evidence that Chinese troops had unjustly killed a Japanese “agricultural expert.” He lodged a protest with the Chinese government and issued threats of military action when dissatisfied with the response. Using the “Nakamura Incident” as a catalyst, on the evening of September 18th of the same year, Japanese forces detonated a section of the South Manchuria Railway at Liutiaogou and falsely accused Chinese troops. At eleven o’clock, the Japanese Kwantung Army bombarded Beidaying and launched a full-scale attack on Shenyang City—the “September 18th Incident” thus erupted. The “Nakamura Incident” serves as a reminder to remember history and never forget national humiliation.

Over a hundred years have passed, and the ancient city of Taonan has undergone tremendous changes. Yet, the stories of Xinglong Street seem like they happened just yesterday, forever enlightening future generations on what to inherit, what to carry forward, what to discard, and what to remember.