When you walk along the streets in Beijing, you may notice that many place names are named after numbers. These place names have their own origins, not only with a long history, but also with unique meanings, allusions, legends, or interesting stories. These place names are both interesting and distinctive. Today, let's start with numbers "One Two Three" to introduce place names in Beijing in the numerical way.
Yichi Dajie ( Street of One Chi) Hutong
On the west side of Meishi Street in Dashilanr, there is a diagonal street called Yangmeizhu Xiejie, which is connected to Liulichang East Street. The west section of Yangmeizhu Xiejie was formerly known as "Yichi Dajie". Yichi Dajie is known as the "shortest hutong in Beijing", but it is not really only one Chi (A Chinese unit of measurement for length, 1 Chi is about 33.33 centimeters) long.
According to historical records, it is more than 30 meters long. As time passed, the position of the buildings on both sides of the street also quietly changed. According to the on-site measurement by the construction command office of Liulichang in Dashilanr in Xicheng District, Yichi Dajie is actually 25 meters long.
According to the "Daoqiao Zhi" (Records of Roads and Bridges in Beijing) , "the shortest hutong is the section from Tongzi Hutong at the east entrance of Liulichang East Street to the north entrance of Yingtao Hutong, which was originally called Yichi Dajie." According to the record of Chen Zongfan, a Jinshi in the late Qing Dynasty, in his book "Yandu Congkao" in 1931, "Yichi Dajie is to the west of Yangmeizhu Xiejie, and to the west is Liulichang." Since he wrote the book, Yichi Dajie has a history of more than 90 years. According to the Records of Place Names of Xuanwu District in Beijing published in 1993, "when the street names were reorganized in 1965, the short dead-end alleys on the south side of this street, Xixing Hutong and Yichi Dajie were merged." In 2012, the government designated Yangmeizhu Xiejie, where it is located, as a pilot for exploring new models of protecting and repairing historical and cultural blocks, and Yichi Dajie was "reborn" despite the changes.
Although Yichi Dajie is short, it is a microcosm of old Beijing hutongs and has obvious cultural characteristics of old Beijing. Nowadays, the name of Yichi Dajie has been revoked and merged into Yangmeizhu Xiejie. Only two long copper plaques on the ground with the four black characters "Yichi Dajie" serve as the landmark. As time goes by, although the old appearance of Yichi Dajie is no longer visible, the landmark nailed to the ground reminds people of its past and present from time to time.
Erlongzha (Sluice of Two Dragons)
Erlongzha is named after the Erlongzha on the east dike of Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace. Erlongzha is also called "Erkongzha" (Sluice of Two Holes). It was built in the Qianlong period and is the only water discharge gate on the east dike of Kunming Lake. It is named after the eight-shaped water-dividing dark hole, which has two water outlet gates. It consists of the front gate and the back bridge.
The Erlongzha is mainly used to regulate the water supply in the eastern area of Kunming Lake. It can be used for flood control, water level regulation, irrigation of farmland outside the park, and can also provide water for the gardens of the Summer Palace and the Changchun Garden. The sluice is not often opened, but when the gate is opened, the water flows through the two-hole stone bridge to the outside of the park, flowing northeast through Yingshi Street and Machang Bridge into Yuanmingyuan Park.
Through the control of the Erlongzha, Sihandong and other sluices, the water from Kunming Lake can be used to irrigate rice fields in the west of Beijing, thus playing a role in supplying water for agriculture in addition to supplying water for gardens.
Sanlitun (Three Li Village)
According to historical records, the name Sanlitun originated in the Ming Dynasty because it was about 1500 meters (1 Li equals 500 meters) from the East Gate of old Beijing. Later, due to the frequent changes of dynasties and wars, Sanlitun was renamed many times, sometimes even once became a deserted village, sometimes became a place for stationed troops.
It was not until the Republican period that the name Sanlitun was finally confirmed. According to the "Beijing Local Chronicles", at this time Sanlitun had been restored to a village where people lived.
In the 1950s, Beijing increased its urban construction efforts. As an important transportation hub outside the city, Sanlitun naturally became one of the earliest areas to be expanded and used for human habitation. After 1950, many relocated households moved here and established the Xingfu Village. The names of Xingfu Yicun (Xingfu Village Ⅰ) and Xingfu Ercun (Xingfu Village Ⅱ) both come from this.
According to the "Records of Streets of Chaoyang District" and the "Chaoyang Military Chronicles", the construction of Sanlitun Street was completed in 1976. From this year on, Sanlitun Street officially became a comprehensive street integrating residential, foreign-related, and commercial functions. In the tide of time, Sanlitun Street began to gradually move towards the forefront of fashion and internationalization from this moment.
