The names of the main streets in the city are basically named after their corresponding gates. Now the city gate is long gone, but the street name has stayed. Until liberation, in the mouth of some old people, Chaoyangmen, Fuchengmen, Xizhimen and Guang 'anmen were also called Qihuamen, Pingzemen, Heyimen and Zhangyimen Street. These are the place names of the Yuan Dynasty and even the Jin Dynasty, which shows the power of word of mouth.
Beijing was the capital of several dynasties. In addition to the imperial palace, many organs and government agencies, schools, warehouses and barracks dedicated to the royal family have also been handed down as place names. For example, the accounting department and satin warehouse in the imperial city, Taibus Temple Street, Bingmu Temple Hutong, Daxing County (now Daxing) Hutong, Fu Xue Hutong, Marine Warehouse, Lumicang Hutong, Jiaochangkou and Barracks Hutong outside the imperial city. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Street and Ministry of Education Street were named after yamen after the Republic of China.
Some streets and alleys are named after people who once lived here. For example, Dingfu Street, where Xu Da, the Duke of Ding in the Ming Dynasty, lived, Sanbao Master (now Sanbao Old) Hutong, where Zheng He, the eunuch of Sanbao, lived, and Li Ge Old (now mechanic) Hutong, where Li Dongyang lived. In addition to the names of princes and nobles, there are a large number of streets and lanes named after civilians and craftsmen. Such as casserole Liu (now big casserole) Hutong, Shenbi (now nose) Hutong, Yao (now Yao governing the country) Hutong, Fenfang (now Fenfang) Street, Qianmazhang (now Shuamazhuang) Hutong, Tofu Chen (now Tofu Pool) Hutong and so on. These place names are like a scroll of ancient customs. Through it, we seem to see with our own eyes the scenery and customs of ancient cities and the people in the alleys.
The old times also left a deformed mark on the street names in Beijing. Xisi area was the place where prostitutes lived in Yuan Dynasty, so they left the place names such as Goulan (now Siheyuan Hutong) and Fenzi Hutong. In the Ming Dynasty, official prostitutes were concentrated in Dongcheng. Our Hutong is the seat of Jiaofang Temple, Le Yan Hutong is the place to practice prostitutes' music, and Goulan Hutong (now the street of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) is the place where official prostitutes live and go whoring.
Living in such a metropolis, commodity trading is indispensable, so streets and lanes named after markets and commodities account for a large proportion. From the distribution and varieties of these markets, we can see some basic information about Beijing's market trade for hundreds of years. Streets and alleys named after all kinds of eating, drinking and daily life are really all-encompassing. Food street and Taner Hutong can provide you with life energy; Mishi Street, Regan Noodles Hutong and Simi Hutong provide staple food; Pig Market Street, niujie, Mutton Hutong, Fresh Fish Mouth, Chicken (Kyrgyzstan) Market Mouth, Vegetable Market Mouth and Tofu Pool provide non-staple food; Seasoning should be used in cooking, including garlic market mouth, oil mill lane, sauce room lane and sugar room lane; For drinks, there are shochu Hutong and Tea Hutong. Fruits after meals include fruit market and fruit lane; There was no refrigerator in those days, but there was an ice kiln alley; To buy household appliances and sundries, you can go to Porcelain Mouth, Steel Tile Market, Pener Hutong, Huamian Hutong, Wool Hutong, Broom Hutong and Pole Hutong. Want to buy a hat to wear, there are official hat alley, Li Shamao alley, square towel alley and straw hat alley. Although there are many styles, most of them are Ming style. Building materials should be used to build houses, including brick hutongs, fine tile factories and ash factories; Going out, there is a car shop and a mule market; If you want to beautify your life, you can go to Flower Market, Rouge Hutong, Cui Hua Hutong, Jewelry Market and Xiangchuan Hutong. The market is prosperous and magnificent.
There are many temple buildings in Beijing. In the past, these temples were used not only for religious activities, but also for social activities by more people. Many old schools are located in temples, and some trade associations are also located in temples. Regular temple fairs occupy a large proportion in the life of the old city. Temples play such an important role in social life that it is logical to use them as place names, which leads to street names such as Huguosi Street, Long Fu Temple Street and Yanshou Temple Street.
Many construction sites and work areas set up during the large-scale construction in Beijing in those years later became place names, which have been preserved to this day. For example, Shenmu Factory and Damu Factory where timber is piled up, Taiji Factory where firewood is piled up, Liulichang Factory and Black Kiln Factory, and Bell Casting Factory where Yongle Bell is cast.
In order to provide forage for horses and livestock stationed by the army, there were many forage fields in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The largest is a row of ten grassland (factory) hutongs on Xinglong Street.
Beijing is a city short of water, so things about water will leave a deep impression on Beijingers. When the draft is near the well, there are well names such as Jinger Hutong, Eryan Well, Sanyan Well, Siyan Well, Gaojing, Shajing and Xiangjing Well. Where there is water, there are bridges, including Dashiqiao, Factory Bridge, Overpass, Hufang Bridge, Taiping Bridge and Dry Stone Bridge. Where the water once flowed, you can record your street name. In addition to the place names along the old Yongding River road outside Qianmen, there are other places in Beijing, such as North-South Riverside, Panjiahe Riverside, Taiping Lake, Shoushui River, Hanjiatan and North-South Deep Ditch, which clearly outline the water system of Beijing in the past.
Other hutongs are named after obvious topographical features. Brick Pagoda The brick pagodas in Hutong are still there today and have just been renovated recently. Riding the river building and crossing the street building already have buildings; Jujube Hutong and Toona sinensis Hutong had trees in those days. As for Iron Lion Hutong and Qilinbei Hutong, elderly people still remember the original appearance.
The name Beijing Hutong has a long history, and it is a set of information that our predecessors have conveyed to us across the long river of time. Cultural relics and documents may be destroyed, but the names of streets and lanes are with Beijingers. The names of streets and lanes handed down by word of mouth can preserve this true and complete historical material for us for a long time. From the perspective of toponymy, it is undoubtedly unwise to change the names of streets and lanes at will.