Chengxian Street in Beijing

　　    Guozijian Street, situated within Andingmen in Dongcheng District, Beijing, is an east-west alley. During the Qing Dynasty, it was known as “Chengxian Street,” named after the Confucius Temple and Guozijian (Imperial College) located here. It is also referred to as Guozijian Hutong. As one of the few well-preserved ancient streets in Beijing, its towering memorial archways, lining old locust trees, and the green-shaded ancient houses under their canopies all reflect the traditional appearance of old Beijing streets. Moreover, Chengxian Street is a culturally rich avenue, embodying the scholarly spirit of ancient times. During the Six Dynasties period, this area housed imperial gardens, where literati and scholars sought the emperor’s favor, indulging day and night with court ladies honored as “Grand Secretaries.” This behavior was mocked by the great Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin, who ridiculed them as “all the palace scholars were fair, yet Jiang Ling in those days only produced wasted talent,” leaving behind a laughingstock for all time.

　　    Chengxian Street

　　    There are four overstreet memorial archways along the street — one at each of the eastern and western entrances, inscribed with “Chengxian Street,” and one on each side of Guozijian, labeled “Guozijian.” On the north side of both roads, there are stone tablets inscribed with “All civil and military officials must dismount here,” engraved in both Manchu and Chinese.

　　    Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development