Houzaimen Street

Houzaimen Street

The 1640 "Licheng County Annals" from the Ming Chongzhen era recorded this street as "Baihuajiao Street, behind the De Mansion." It was named after Baihua Bridge, which in turn was named after Baihua Islet — a pond located south of the southern gate of Daming Lake. A bridge over the islet was called Baihua Bridge, and the street was thus named after the bridge. In 1466, during the Ming Chenghua era, Prince De Zhu Jianlin built the De Mansion, which had four gates: the southern one was called Duanli Gate, the eastern one Tiren Gate, the western one Daoyi Gate, and following the conventions of the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the northern gate of the mansion was generally called Houzai Gate. The term "Houzai" comes from the *Book of Changes*, which states: “The earth’s condition is receptive devotion; thus the superior person carries things with great virtue.” This street lay outside the Houzai Gate, and during the Qing dynasty it was called Houzai Gate Street, later misheard and corrupted into Houzaimen Street. Houzaimen Street is a feng shui treasure spot, surrounded by scenic areas such as Baihua Islet, Qushuiting Street, Zhen Pond, and Pearl Spring. In the past, water from Pearl Spring flowed into Zhen Pond at the eastern end of Houzaimen Street. The water from Zhen Pond then seeped through walls and houses on the southern side of the street, flowing into the stream at the western end of Qushuiting Street. The stream was clear and used for drinking and washing; residents washed clothes and vegetables here, while children caught fish and shrimp in the water. Later, when the water decreased, people built houses over the stream. Today, behind the southeast corner of Courtyard No. 44 on the street, there remains an unfilled “small ditch,” with a stream running beneath beds — the width of the bed matches the width of the stream. Over 280 rooms of the Eight Banners Guild Hall were once located on Houzaimen Street, where more people ran small shops and businesses than lived there. At the southwestern corner of the street was a teahouse; at the southeastern corner were the once-famous Tongyuanlou, Jiuhualou, and Daibei Lou restaurants. Among them, Tongyuanlou was famed for its pork soup dumplings and jarred trotters, while Jiuhualou was the first to create the dish “Nine-Turned Intestine.” The street also hosted Jinan’s largest and most prestigious Guan Yu Temple. Other establishments included Gongxing Tavern, Yuanyingzhai, Runmeizhai, Tianxingzhai, Qingyu Tang Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, as well as antique shops like Linbaozhai, Jubaozhai, Xinbaozhai, and Hongtaixiang, and long-established brands such as Huaxiazhai and Wenmeizhai. On the northeastern corner of the street’s western end stood a Christian church, adding a strong touch of foreign charm to the old street. Additionally, the most noteworthy aspect is that during the Qing Tongzhi era, the “Shandong Publishing House” and the “Dagong Lithography Workshop” were established here. The Dagong Lithography Workshop gained the nickname “Jianbao Office” because it printed Jinan’s earliest newspaper, the *Jianbao*.