Six-Foot Lane

Six-Foot Lane

The urban area of Tongcheng City in Anhui Province is an ancient city that has long enjoyed the reputation of being a “City of Literature,” likely because the famous Qing Dynasty Chinese prose school known as the “Tongcheng School” originated here. Cultural landmarks and historical remains can be found throughout the city. There are many small streets and alleys in the city, such as “One-Person Alley,” “Chancellor Qian’s Alley,” “Twin-Well Alley,” “Lecture Garden Alley,” “Riverside Alley,” and so on, but the most renowned of them all is “Six-Foot Lane.”

Six-Foot Lane is a small lane over 100 meters long and about 2 meters wide, paved with cobblestones. According to the county annals: during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Ying, who served as Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall and Minister of Rites, worked in the capital. When his relatives back in his hometown of Tongcheng were building a house and digging the foundation walls, they got into a dispute with their neighbor, the Wu family, over land. His family wrote to him asking for his intervention. After reading the letter, the grand secretary immediately replied: “A letter comes just for a wall; what harm is there in yielding three feet? The Great Wall still stands after ten thousand li, but the First Emperor of Qin is no more.” The message was clear — his family should give way. After reading the letter, the family voluntarily yielded three feet. Deeply moved, the neighbor Wu family also yielded three feet. Three plus three equals six — thus creating “Six-Foot Lane,” a lane approximately 2 meters wide. From then on, “Six-Foot Lane” became a much-told tale in Zhang Ying’s hometown, now Tongcheng City in Anhui Province.

Speaking of Zhang Ying, even many Chinese may not be familiar with him. But mention his son Zhang Tingyu, and it’s a different story. Zhang Tingyu, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during Emperor Kangxi’s reign, rose to the positions of Grand Secretary of the Baohe Hall and a Grand Councilor. During the Yongzheng era, when the Grand Council (Junji Chu) was established, its rules and regulations were all drafted by Zhang Tingyu. He continued to enjoy the emperor’s trust during the Qianlong era and was even granted the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. Serving under three emperors — Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong — Zhang Tingyu held office for a total of 50 years. He was Zhang Ying’s third son. Zhang Ying’s eldest son, Zhang Tingzhan, was also a Jinshi during the Kangxi era. As a result, for centuries in Tongcheng, there have been sayings such as “Father and Son as Prime Ministers,” “Three Jinshi within Five Li,” and “Two Top Imperial Scholars Across the River.”

Zhang Ying built the “Shuangxi Thatched Cottage” at the confluence of two small rivers on the outskirts of Tongcheng City. The inscription on the study door read: “Frugality and diligence are the foundation of managing a household; harmony and compliance are the basis of receiving blessings.” He emphasized “frugality and diligence” and “harmony and compliance,” meaning “simplicity,” “hard work,” “peace,” and “success” — all traditional Chinese virtues. Emperor Kangxi also composed a couplet for the “Shuangxi Thatched Cottage,” which reads: “White birds forget worldly schemes, watching clouds roll by beyond the sky; green mountains never age, letting flowers bloom and fade before the courtyard.” Thus, Six-Foot Lane has now become a historic site where visitors can also gain profound insights.

Six-Foot Lane is located between West Back Street and Wumu Garden in downtown Tongcheng. Since the 1980s, the former site of Six-Foot Lane has received high attention from governments and relevant departments at various levels. In 1985, the Tongcheng Municipal Government designated Six-Foot Lane as a municipal-level key cultural relics protection unit. In 1993, relevant departments of the Anhui Provincial Government allocated special funds for partial restoration; in 1999, the Tongcheng Municipal Government again allocated special funds to rebuild and expand the site. Zhang Geng, deputy director of the Tongcheng Museum, explained:

“The current ‘Six-Foot Lane’ was reconstructed in 2002. Our Tongcheng City restored ‘Six-Foot Lane’ on the original site. Restoring ‘Six-Foot Lane’ is about reviving the spirit of ‘Six-Foot Lane’ — the spirit of courtesy and humility, mainly reflected in yielding. The lane is still six feet wide. Based on historical records, the height of the walls, the method of wall surface treatment, and the ground finishing have all been fully restored to their original appearance, preserving the old as it was. ‘Six-Foot Lane’ itself was once a thoroughfare in the old city, and even after restoration, it continues to serve as a traffic passage.”

The main structures of the present-day Six-Foot Lane include the lane itself, the “Courtesy” stone memorial archway to the east, the “Virtue Lasts Forever” stone memorial archway to the west, a leisure plaza, a poetry-and-painting screen wall, rockeries, and more. It has now become an independent tourist attraction, with an unusual vibrancy still found in the depths of the alley. Tongcheng’s Six-Foot Lane in Anhui Province may be one of the most expansive alleys filled with the philosophy of “harmony” in traditional Chinese culture. Its “width” does not lie in the “six feet,” but in the breadth of people’s minds and the spirit of harmony and mutual respect.

Zhang Ying (1637–1708), styled Dunfu, also known as Lepu and by his sobriquet Juànpǔwēng, was a native of Tongcheng, Anhui Province. He was an official of the Qing Dynasty and the father of Zhang Tingyu. In the sixth year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, he passed the imperial examination and was selected as a Shujishi (a compiled scholar), later rising to the positions of Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall and Minister of Rites. He successively served as chief editor for the compilation of the “National History,” “Comprehensive Gazetteer,” “Yuanjian Leihan,” “Political Precedents and Instructions,” and “Strategies for Pacifying the Northern Desert.” In the 47th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, he passed away and was posthumously given the title “Wenduan.”

Biography

Zhang Ying was born in 1637 (the 10th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Chongzhen era).

In 1663, at the age of 27, Zhang Ying passed the provincial examination. In the sixth year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign… More details about Zhang Ying ++

Zhang Tingyu (1672–1755), styled Hengchen, also known as Yanzhai, was a native of Tongcheng, Anhui.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, he served as Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. During the Yongzheng era, he held positions such as Minister of Rites and Minister of Revenue. In the late Kangxi period, he reformed the lax official governance system and later improved the Grand Council system. He successively served as a compiler for “Records of the Emperor’s Personal Campaign to Pacify the Northern Region,” Vice President of “Provincial Grandeur Ceremony” and “Veritable Records of Emperor Shengzu of Qing,” and President of “History of Ming,” “Veritable Histories of Four Dynasties,” “Collected Statutes of the Great Qing,” and “Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong.” He was posthumously given the title “Wenhe,” was honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and was the only Han Chinese official in the entire Qing Dynasty to be accorded this honor.

… More details about Zhang Tingyu ++