Old Junmen Lane

Old Junmen Lane

A neighborhood street name in Jinan City, located in the southern part of Quancheng Road Subdistrict, Lixia District. It is a north-south oriented alley, starting from Quancheng Road in the north and ending at Heihuquan West Road in the south, adjacent to Bangpeng Street to the east and Shizikou Street and Jiuqu Lane to the west. The street numbers range from 1–27 and 2–8. It is 192 meters long and 4.8 meters wide, with an asphalt road surface. The street was named after the military headquarters of the regional governor during the Ming Dynasty. In the fifth year of the Zhengtong era (1440), the post of Shandong Governor was established. In the first year of the Chenghua era (1465), the Governor’s Office (initial location unknown) was built on the west side of this street and was called the Governor’s Censorate. Over time, the responsibilities of the Governor expanded, and by the eighth year of the Wanli era (1580), the full title of the position became “Governor of various regions, Supervisor of Military Affairs, and Manager of Farmland and River Channels, Censorate Right (or Left Deputy) Grand Coordinator.” The office gradually came to be known as the Governor’s Military Headquarters, and thus the street was called Junmen Lane (Military Headquarters Lane). By the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Old Junmen Lane. In the sixth year of the Chongzhen era (1633), the Lisheng · Construction Records stated: “Governor’s Military Headquarters: located at the southern corner of the city, built in the first year of the Chenghua era, renovated in the second year of the Zhengde era, and renamed to its current name in the Wanli era.” The 1771 Licheng County Annals · Regional Survey recorded “Junmen Lane.” In 1913, the Meiye Cigarette Factory registered its address as “Old Junmen Lane.” The 1934 Jinan Municipal Government Urban Survey Report also mentioned “Old Junmen Lane.” In the first year of the Chenghua era (1465), the Governor’s Office was constructed on the west side of this street. The architecture at the time was quite grand, featuring a large gate outside adorned with plaques inscribed with “Civil and Martial Exemplars” and “Civil Order, Martial Strategy,” with side plaques reading “Commander of Qi and Lu.” In the second year of the Zhengde era (1507), the Governor’s Military Headquarters caught fire, and most of its main buildings were burned to ashes. Reconstruction took over six years. Another fire occurred in the eighth year of the Zhengde era. By the spring of the eleventh year of the Chongzhen era (1638), yet another major fire struck. At that time, Governor Yan Jizu oversaw expansion and reconstruction efforts. However, during the rebuilding, Qing troops invaded. In the twelfth year of the Chongzhen era (1639), Jinan fell, and the unfinished Governor’s Military Headquarters was destroyed in the warfare. Five years later, the Ming Dynasty collapsed. In the fifth year of the Kangxi era (1666), Zhou Youde, then Governor of Shandong, built the Governor’s Office on the site of the former Ming Prince of De’s Mansion, and the ruins of the Ming-era Governor’s Military Headquarters were turned into residential areas. Since the west side of the street could expand toward the ruins of the Governor’s Military Headquarters, several mansions belonging to wealthy families were established there. Shandong Governor Ding Baozhen built his residence on the west side of the lane. In the thirty-third year of the Guangxu era (1907), the Jinan branch of the Hubu Bank was established in the lane. In 1913, Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company and Meiye Cigarette Co., Ltd. set up operations in the lane. The lane also hosted the Xinhua Cinema, the Lixia District Taxation Branch, and the Jinan No. 3 Arts and Crafts Factory, among others.