Front door. Great Wall

Author: Luo Baoping, Zhang Huiqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The Front Gate Grand Bazaar is the most charming ancient commercial street in Beijing. Its glory and prosperity rank first in Beijing, and its vibrant vitality has endured to this day. The development of commercial activities has also promoted the prosperity of finance, food, services, healthcare, and cultural performances in this area. Therefore, for Beijing residents, the Front Gate Grand Bazaar is not just an ideal place for shopping, but also a great spot for leisure and entertainment. Although the Front Gate Grand Bazaar has been the most prosperous commercial area in Beijing since the Ming Dynasty, exploring the historical development of this commercial gem reveals that its commercial prosperity can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty.
The Grand Canal and the Rise of Commercial Activity in the Front Gate Area
The predecessor of Beijing, Liao Nanjing and Jin Zhongdu, were initially located near Guang'anmen. In the 36th year of the Qianlong reign (1771), during construction at the Liulichang, the tomb of Li Neizhen, a Liao Dynasty censor, was accidentally discovered. The epitaph read: "Buried in Haowan Village, Yanchangxiang, Dongjing." In ancient China, tombs were generally located in the suburbs, and the discovery of the Haowan Village tomb confirms that the area east of Liulichang, where the Front Gate Grand Bazaar is now located, was an open field outside the eastern suburbs of Liao Nanjing and Jin Zhongdu during the Liao and Jin dynasties.
In the first year of the Zhongtong era (1260), Kublai Khan, after declaring himself emperor in Kaifeng, arrived in Yanjing. As the Jin Palace had been destroyed in the war and could no longer be used, he temporarily resided in the Jin on the Qionghua Island of Beihai. The excellent environment and beautiful scenery left a strong impression on Kublai Khan. Soon after, he decided to make Yanjing the capital, abandoning Jin Zhongdu and constructing a new city to the northeast of Qionghua Island, renaming it Dadu.
Construction of Dadu began in the fourth year of the Zhiyuan era (1267) and was completed in the 22nd year (1285), taking 18 years in total. The southern wall of Dadu was roughly north of today's East and West Chang'an Avenues, with three gates: the Zhengzhimen in the middle, the Wenmingmen to the east, and the Shunchengmen to the west. The Zhengzhimen was located near Tiananmen, the Wenmingmen near the intersection of East Dandongmen, and the Shunchengmen near the intersection of West Dandongmen. This indicates that the Front Gate Grand Bazaar area was in the southern suburbs of Dadu during the Yuan Dynasty, and today's Front Gate Street is the main thoroughfare outside the Zhengzhimen of the Yuan Dynasty.
After Kublai Khan made Yanjing the capital, the grain and supplies of Dadu relied heavily on southern supplies. However, after the southern grain was transported via the Grand Canal to Tongzhou, it had to be carried overland to the capital, incurring significant costs. Therefore, solving the transport issue and ensuring the supply of Dadu became a critical problem. In the 28th year of the Zhiyuan era (1291), Guo Shoujing, then director of the Water Conservancy Department, advised Kublai Khan to excavate a grain transport canal from Dadu to Tongzhou to address this challenge. The route of the canal was as follows: diverting water from Baifushui Spring in Changping to the west, then turning south and east into Dadu City, merging into the Jishuitan to the south, then following the eastern wall of the imperial city southward, exiting Dadu City, and finally turning east to Tongzhou.
Kublai Khan quickly approved Guo Shoujing's proposal, and construction began the next year, completing in the 30th year (1293). When the canal was opened, Kublai Khan passed by Jishuitan and saw ships crowded on the water, a scene of unprecedented prosperity. He named the canal the Tonghui River. The section of the Tonghui River flowing east from the east side of Tiananmen after exiting the southern wall of Dadu was roughly south of East Chang'an Avenue and north of East Front Gate Street.
After the Tonghui River was excavated, it provided a new transportation route for north-south economic exchange. Southern grain ships could now travel unobstructed to Jishuitan in Dadu City. As the grain was transported north along the river, merchants from the south seized the opportunity to carry goods aboard grain ships and travel north to trade in Dadu. Upon arriving in Dadu, some merchants set up sheds outside the Zhengzhimen and Wenmingmen to conduct trade activities. These areas correspond to the area around Front Gate and Chongwenmen today.
Li Wojisun, a Yuan Dynasty scholar, wrote a poem titled "The Ode to Dadu," which reads: "Excavating the Huitong River, merchants from Shaanxi and Shanxi, and wealthy traders from Wu and Chu, with sails unfurled, directly reach the capital. To go to the market, customs are lenient, and travelers are pleased with the journey." The capital refers to the city, and the poem's description of "directly reaching the capital" and "going to the market" reflects the scenario of southern merchants traveling to Dadu for business after the Tonghui River was excavated.
Under the operation of these southern merchants, markets quickly formed outside the Zhengzhimen and Wenmingmen of the southern wall of Dadu. These markets chose this location not only because it was along the canal but also because of the lenient customs regulations, which were