In front of you opens Qiánmén Dàjiē, the street that runs south from the gate, straight as an arrow, along the city's axis. The emperor passed this way on his way to the Temple of Heaven, and caravans, officials and students coming to sit the imperial exams entered the capital along it.

1The five-bay archway

The great archway in front of you is the Wǔpáilóu, “the five-bay archway”. The original marked the end of the Zhengyang bridge, which crossed the moat below the wall. Look at the photograph from 1874: in front of the archway you can see that bridge, crowded with beggars and street sellers. The archway was taken down in the 1950s to widen the street, and the one you see is a reconstruction from the early years of this century.

2A street remade

Between 2007 and 2008, ahead of the Olympic Games, the street was completely overhauled: it was closed to traffic, the façades were rebuilt in late Qing style and the tram was brought back. So almost everything looks old and almost everything is new. But some houses really are veterans. At number 30, Quanjude opened in 1864, the restaurant that made duck roasted in an open oven famous.

A little further south, at Duyichu, the story goes that the Qianlong Emperor dined one New Year's Eve because it was the only place still open, and so gave it its name: “the only place in the capital”.

3What to look for

  • The Wupailou, with its five bays and green roofs.
  • The tram rails, a reminder of the line that ran here from 1924.
  • The Quanjude façade, with its old brick shopfront.
1874 photograph of Qianmen Street with the five-bay archway and the crowded Zhengyang bridge
Qianmen Street and the beggars' bridge in 1874, photographed by Adolf Boyarsky.

Documented

The street follows the central axis; it was rebuilt between 2007 and 2008, and Quanjude was founded here in 1864.

Oral tradition

Qianlong's New Year's Eve visit to Duyichu is a house story with no documentary proof.

Sources and credits

Adolf Nikolay Boyarsky, photographs of Peking (1874), World Digital Library; Quanjude, official company history; Dongcheng District Government, information on the Qianmen Dajie redevelopment.

Photos:

  • A vintage-style tram on pedestrian Qianmen Street, with lanterns and shops: The Erica Chang, CC BY 3.0.
  • 1874 photograph of Qianmen Street with the five-bay archway and the crowded Zhengyang bridge: Adolf Nikolay Boyarsky, Dominio público.

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