These Beijing alleys are full of celebrity stories

Beijing's hutongs were formed in the Yuan Dynasty and continued from the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Republic of China. They are scattered all over the city. As the old saying goes, "There are 3,600 big hutongs and countless small hutongs." The names of the hutongs are also all-encompassing, and each hutong has historical stories, such as the three hutongs named after ancient celebrities.

Luban Hutong is named after Luban

Lu Ban lived from the late Spring and Autumn Period to the early Warring States Period. He was not only a skilled craftsman, but also an outstanding inventor. According to ancient books such as "Wu Yuan", many tools and equipment used by carpenters, such as bevel, ink fountain, plane, drill, saw and other tools, are said to have been invented by him. He is respected by the world as the ancestor of the "Eight Major Works" (namely, tile work, earth work, stone work, wood work, painting work, paint work, bridging work, and wallpapering work).

Luban Hutong was originally located near Longxugou in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It stretches from Zhushikou East Street in the north to Xixiaoshi Street in the south, and is about one mile long. In 1933, the "Beijing Place Names Dictionary" called it Lubanguan Hutong because there used to be a Gongshuzi Temple (Luban Temple) dedicated to Lu Ban. In the late Qing Dynasty, the tile and wood industry was concentrated in Dongxiaoshi, and most of the residents were tile and wood craftsmen. In order to commemorate the ancestor of the industry, Luban, many factories and craftsmen raised funds to build Luban Hall, and the black-bearded and red-robed Luban was enshrined in the main hall of the courtyard in the hall. During the Republic of China period, Luban Hall was already a center for worshiping ancestors, industry gatherings, and industry management in the wood, tile, and stone industries.

In 1958, the Lu Ban Temple was completely demolished, and the northern half of Lu Ban Hutong was also demolished. Subsequently, the hutong disappeared completely, and was replaced by a modern residential building and the "Chengchuan Art Museum" compound in the eastern area of ​​​​Goldfish Pond.

Kuai Shilang Hutong is named after Kuai Xiang

Kuai Shilang Hutong is named after Kuai Xiang, a famous architectural designer in the Ming Dynasty. Shilang was his official title.

Kuai Xiang was born in Xiangshan, Wuxian, Suzhou. He learned from his father since he was young. He was proficient in calculating materials and mortise and tenon joints, and became famous in the industry and served as the "head carpenter". In the 15th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1417), Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty built Beijing's city palaces on a large scale and recruited skilled craftsmen from all over the country. Kuai Xiang was summoned to Beijing and was affiliated with the Ministry of Works to participate in the construction of Tiananmen Square and other palaces. Kuai Xiang had superb skills. He "could measure and plan accurately, and command and operate in accordance with regulations." He was promoted from a foreman of craftsmen to the Minister of the Ministry of Works, and later became the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, with a salary of the first rank. During the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty (1436-1449), Kuai Xiang was responsible for rebuilding the three main halls of the Forbidden City. "Xiang was involved in all the construction projects. During the Zhengtong period, he rebuilt the three halls and the civil and military departments, and provided a lot of services." The Ming Dynasty's "Records of Emperor Xianzong" evaluated Kuai Xiang as follows: "He was a respectful and thorough person. Although he held a high position, he remained frugal. He never rode in a sedan chair when going out. Even when he was old, he still directed the work by himself." His works include "Kuai Xiang's Construction Maps and Books", which had a great influence in the history of architecture and he was known as "Kuai Lu Ban".

Kuai Xiang's residence was more than two kilometers away from the construction site of the Forbidden City. Because of his official title, it was called Kuai Shilang Hutong, which was later the Suzhou Street area near Beijing Railway Station. As time went by, Kuai Shilang Hutong gradually disappeared, leaving only the name of the hutong.

Sanbulao Hutong named after Zheng He

Sanbulao Hutong is located in the northern part of Xicheng District, starting from Deshengmen Inner Street in the east and ending at Mianhua Hutong in the west, with a total length of 273 meters. It was named after the residence of Zheng He, the eunuch Sanbao and the famous navigator in the early Ming Dynasty, which was located in Courtyard No. 6 of the hutong.

Zheng He's original surname was Ma, and his nickname was Sanbao. He was a Hui, and he once served as a eunuch in the inner palace. He was given the surname Zheng because he followed the Ming Chengzu Zhu Di and made many military achievements. Since the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1405), Zheng He led a large fleet to sail to the West seven times, which lasted for 28 years. He "traveled through more than 30 countries and crossed more than 100,000 miles of the sea", and reached the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea. He had the largest fleet and the most advanced navigation technology in the world at that time, and wrote a glorious page in the history of world navigation. He was a veritable navigator. Liang Qichao commented: "Looking at Mr. Zheng, there are so few people who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the history of the world." In 1997, the American "Life Weekly" selected the "100 People with the Greatest Influence on History in the Past Thousand Years", and Zheng He ranked 14th.

In the Ming Dynasty, people called the alley where Zheng He lived "Sanbao Laodie Hutong". "Laodie" is a respectful title for elders or powerful people. "Sanbao" specifically refers to "Ma Sanbao", Zheng He's original name. Later, due to the rapid reading of Beijing dialect and the change of speech flow, the word "die" was gradually omitted, and it became "Sanbulao Hutong".

Zheng He's former residence has been destroyed, but the alley still exists.

(The author Ji Liping is a member of the China Science Writers Association)