Sanfang Qixiang



Sanfang Qixiang (Foochow Romanized: Săng-huŏng-chék-háe̤ng), literally Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, is a historic and cultural area in the city of Fuzhou.

Its name is derived from the three lanes (Foochow Romanized: huŏng) and the seven alleys ( Foochow Romanized: háe̤ng) that comprise the area. These are namely:


 * Three Fang
 * Yijin Lane
 * Wenru Lane
 * Guanglu Lane


 * Seven Xiang
 * Yangqiao Alley
 * Langguan Alley
 * Ta Alley
 * Huang Alley
 * Anmin Alley
 * Gong Alley
 * Jipi Alley

The district is trisected by the north-south thoroughfares Tonghu Road and Nanhou Street, and bounded by Bayiqi Road  to the east and Baima Road  to the west.

Covering a total area of 0.38 km2, it is celebrated as an architectural museum of Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, including numerous National Designated Monuments such as the historic residences of notable figures. Because of the high number of rich, famous and powerful residents, counting 400 in total over the past few centuries, this area has been dubbed the 'Beverly Hills' of imperial China. Since 2015, it has been designated as a 5A-Rated Tourist Attraction by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Some of its notable former residents include:


 * Zhang Jing
 * Lin Zexu
 * Chen Baochen
 * Zheng Xiaoxu
 * Shen Baozhen
 * Sa Zhenbing
 * Yan Fu
 * Lin Shu
 * Bing Xin
 * Lu Yin
 * Lin Huiyin
 * Lin Juemin
 * Wang Zhu
 * Shu Chun Teng
 * Deng Tuo

The area is considered a classic example of the "residential ward" or lǐfāng system, a traditional form of urban planning dating back as early as the Tang dynasty. Thanks to its status as a "living fossil" of such a system, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2013, and later designated a National Historic and Cultural Street by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and State Administration of Cultural Heritage in 2015. Owing to the extraordinary efforts to protect the historic fabrics from Sanfang Qixiang Administration, it was awarded an honorable mention of the 2015 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards.