Front Gate · Great Wall

Author: Luo Baoping, Zhang Huiqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Qianmen Dashilan is the most charming ancient commercial street in Beijing, renowned for its glory and prosperity, with its vibrant vitality lasting to this day. The development of commercial activities has also boosted the growth of finance, dining, services, healthcare, and cultural performances in this area. Therefore, for Beijing residents, Qianmen Dashilan is not just an ideal place for shopping, but also a great spot for leisure and entertainment. Although Qianmen Dashilan 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 Beihai River—The Rise of Qianmen Dashilan
The predecessor of Beijing, Liao Nanjing and Jin Zhongdu, were initially located near Guang'anmen. In the 36th year of the Qianlong reign (1771), the tomb of Li Neizhen, a Liao Dynasty censor, was accidentally discovered during construction in Liulichang. The epitaph read: "Buried in Haiwang Village, Yanxiang, Dongjing." In ancient China, tombs were generally located in the suburbs, and the discovery of the Haiwang Village tomb confirms that the area east of Liulichang, where Qianmen Dashilan is now located, was an open space 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 proclaiming 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.
The construction of Dadu began in the fourth year of the Zhiyuan era (1267) and was completed in the 22nd year (1285), lasting 18 years. 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 Wenchengmen to the east, and the Shunchengmen to the west. The Zhengzhimen was located near Tiananmen, the Wenchengmen near the intersection of East Danmen, and the Shunchengmen near the intersection of West Danmen. This indicates that Qianmen Dashilan was in the southern suburbs of Dadu during the Yuan Dynasty, and today's Qianmen 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 provinces. However, after the southern grain transport reached Tongzhou via the Grand Canal, it had to be transported to the capital by land, incurring significant costs. Therefore, solving the grain 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. The route was as follows: diverting water from Baifushui Spring in Changping to the west, then turning south and east into Dadu, south to Jishuitan, then along the eastern wall of the imperial city to the south, exiting Dadu and 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 filling 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 Qianmen Street.
After the Tonghui River was excavated, it provided a new transportation route for north-south economic exchange, allowing southern grain ships to reach Jishuitan in Dadu without obstruction. As the grain was transported north along the river, merchants from the south also seized the opportunity to carry goods aboard grain ships and travel north to Dadu for trade. Upon arriving in Dadu, some merchants set up sheds outside the Zhengzhimen and Wenchengmen to conduct business—exactly where Qianmen and Chongwenmen are located today.
Li Wojisun, a Yuan Dynasty scholar, wrote a poem titled "Dadu Fu," which reads: "Excavating the Huitong River, merchants from Shaanxi and Shanxi, and great traders from Wu and Chu, fly their sails like reeds, directly reaching the capital. To go to the market, customs are lenient, and travelers are pleased with the journey." The capital is referred to as "the capital under the carriage," 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 Wenchengmen of the southern wall of Dadu. These markets chose to be outside the Zhengzhimen for two reasons: its location along the canal and the fact that "customs were lenient."