Say Lane - (Photographic Collection Edition)

Author: Yin Wen / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Bridge names as lane names are very common in Jiangnan cities, and also found in the north. Bridges span key points, connecting streets and lanes. Thus, bridge names became local place names. Some city bridges, due to the siltation and obstruction of rivers, were abandoned and eventually collapsed. However, the lane names remained, such as Desheng Bridge Lane, Yuanmen Bridge Lane, Fengbu Bridge Lane, Sanbu Liangqiao Lane, Wanhuang Bridge Lane, etc. Today, when you walk into these lanes, you hear the names of the bridges but see no ancient bridges. You can only imagine the beauty of the past water markets, waterways, and the various types of bridges—arch bridges, plank bridges, and suspension bridges—through the lane names.
The lanes are long and deep, resembling a long dragon, so some lanes are named after dragons as well, such as Longtouguan Lane, Longbe Lane, Yitiao Long Lane, Gunding Long Lane, Erlongkeng Lane, and Longshou Lane. In fact, they are all lane names. Ancient geomancers used the concept of "dragon veins" to analyze the geographical features of mountains, rivers, and water flow. They believed that water turning three bends had dragon energy, and the direction of mountains and rivers also had dragon energy. As a result, street and lane names, as well as alternative place names, came to include "Dragon City" and "Dragon River." A lane by the water might be called "Dragon Head Lane," while a lane on a high spot might be named "Dragon Back Lane," and a place at the end of the earth's veins might be called "Dragon Tail Lane." Nanjing has lane names like Zhualong Lane and Shuanglong Lane, which are said to be related to the movements of emperors and princes.
"The Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many pavilions are shrouded in mist?" Lane names based on temples are also very common, filling the narrow lanes with the fragrance of incense and the sound of prayers. Taking Nanjing as an example, there are Weiduo Lane, Luohan Lane, Baitasi Lane, Dabi Lane, and Puhua Lane. More lanes are simply named after temples, such as Longwang Temple Lane, Qisheng Temple Lane, Shigongpo Temple Lane, Erlang Temple Lane, Shou'an Temple Lane, Zhanhua Temple Lane, Jingzhong Temple Lane, Jiulian Temple Lane, Land Temple Lane, Dongyue Temple East Lane, Sanzhu Temple Lane, Xinghuo Temple Lane, and Land Hall Lane, among countless others. It is almost the case that lanes are named after the temples they contain, making them easy to recognize and remember, and convenient for people to burn incense. Thus, naming lanes after temple names became a natural practice.
In reality, monasteries, temples, and shrines from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism can all serve as lane names. For example, Zanhua Palace Lane, Qionghua Temple Lane, Shitasi Lane, and Deguandi Lane. Over time, people simply referred to them as Zanhua Palace, Qionghua Temple Lane, Shitasi, and Deguandi.
In the past, villages were often inhabited by clans, and their names were often derived from surnames, such as Huangcun (Yellow Village), Jiangcun (Jiang Village), Wangcun (Wang Village), Liucun (Liu Village), Chen Village, and so on. When clan members moved to cities, due to their kinship and blood ties, they would often settle together, forming clan communities. For instance, within a single lane gate, a family of the same clan might live together. Such lane gates could be called "Zongmen" (main gate) or simply "Lane." For example, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, salt merchants from Huizhou's Shixian settled in Yangzhou, including the Baxing clan from Yuliang Town, who lived together in Yinshi Street, forming a large clan community. Their lane had smaller lanes within it, so a sign was placed at the lane gate reading "Ba Zongmen," which later became a place name. Other examples include Cai Zongmen and Yang Zongmen.
In the lane, the houses are organized into lineages, and within the Zongmen,