It is pretty common that place names in Beijing named after numbers. These place names are with long history, most of them appeared during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. There are more than one hundred place names named after numbers, from one to ten thousand, and even native Beijingers can not name them all.
Shilipu (Ten Li Station)
Shilipu is under the jurisdiction of Balizhuang Street, Chaoyang District (East), east of the Ciyunsi Bridge on the East Fourth Ring Road. In ancient times, Shilipu should be an ancient post station. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chaoyangmen was an important pass of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and Shilipu was named after its location 5 kilometers (1 Li equals 500 meters) east of Chaoyangmen.
Shilipu was already named during the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the fields were divided into official fields and private fields. The official fields included all the royal fields and were called Huangzhuang (fields belong to he royal). Beijing's Huangzhuang started in the Yongle period and expanded rapidly during the Zhengde period. In Zhengde period, seven new Huangzhuang were added within one month, Shilipu Huangzhuang included.
After the opening of the Tonghui River in Yuan Dynasty, grain and rice from Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) could be transferred along the Grand Canal to Tongzhou, Beijing, and then directly enter the city through the Tonghui River. However, during the Ming Dynasty, the Tonghui River was silted up, and the wharf had to be moved back to Zhangjiawan in Tongzhou, and then the goods transferred into the city by road. In 1729 (the seventh year of the Qing Dynasty's Yongzheng reign), in order to facilitate the transportation of grain carts, Emperor Yongzheng authorized the construction of a stone road outside Chaoyangmen. After the stone road was completed, the Shilipu Huangzhuang area became a village.
Baihua Shenchu (One Hundred Flowers Hidden Deep)
Baihua Shenchu is the name of a hutong, which is under the jurisdiction of the Shichahai Street, Xicheng District. It starts from Huguosi East Lane in the east and ends at Xinjiekou South Street. It is connected to Xintaiping Hutong in the north and Huguosi West Lane in the south.
Legend has it that during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, a young couple surnamed Zhang bought 13,333.4 square meters of field in a small alley south of Xijieko in Beijing and made a living by growing vegetables. The hardworking couple also planted peonies and other flowers in the garden, and there was a lotus pond as well. In spring and summer, hundreds of flowers bloomed and the fragrance filled the air. In the autumn, chrysanthemums bloomed and the remaining flowers stood proudly on the branches. In the winter, when the north wind howled, the plum blossoms shone in the snow. It can be said that the scenery was unique all year around. At that time, literati and scholars from the city came here to appreciate the flowers, and this place was called "Baihua Shenchu". After the Zhang couple died, the garden became deserted.
In the Qing Dynasty, the remains of the garden gradually disappeared and became streets and alleys. During the Qianlong period, this place was called "Huaju Hutong"; during the Guangxu period, it was called "Baihua Shenchu Hutong". After the Republic of China, the word "Hutong" was removed, and it was simply called "Baihua Shenchu", which is still used today.
Qianfu Xiang (One Thousand of Felicities Lane)
Qianfu Xiang is a dead-end street running east to west, located on the south side of Andingmen West Street. It starts from Beiluogu Xiang in the east and does not connect to any road in the west. It is 198 meters long and 6 meters wide.
In the Ming Dynasty, Qianfu Xiang belonged to Jintai District and was called Qianfosi (Temple of One Thousand of Buddha) Hutong because there was a temple with a statue of a thousand-handed and thousand-eyed Buddha. It was called Qianfosi Hutong until 1965, during the rectification of place names, it was renamed as Qianfu Xiang.
Now there are units such as Beiluogu Xiang Primary School in the lane, and the rest are residential houses.
Wanshou Road (Longevity of Ten Thousands Years Road )
Wanshou Road is located in the southwest of Haidian District. It starts from Fucheng Road in the north and ends at Lianhua River in Fengtai District in the south. The northern end of Wanshou Road is Fucheng Road, and there is the Cishou Temple of the Ming Dynasty on the north side of Fucheng Road, where there is a tower called Yong'an Wanshou Pagoda which was later abandoned, and only the solitary pagoda remained and commonly known as the Wanshou Pagoda. Wanshou Road was named after this. Subway Line 1 passes through this area.
In Wanshou Road area there were originally farmlands and dirt roads. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the asphalt road surface was laid in 1955, making it the main road connecting the Summer Palace and Fengtai Distrct.
According to historical records, the Wanshou Pagoda was built in the Ming Dynasty by Emperor Wanli for his mother Empress Dowager Li's birthday, hence the name "Yong'an Wanshou (safety and longevity) Pagoda". It is also called Linglong Pagoda. It's another name is "Cishou Temple Pagoda" as it is a building inside the Cishou Temple. Wanshou Pagoda is the representative work of the existing Ming pagodas in Beijing. It is called "sister pagoda" with Tianning Temple Pagoda.
