Old alley in Anhui carries forward fine Chinese culture

In East China's Anhui province, a 2-meter-wide alley separates a pair of gray walls. At first glance it may seem insignificant, but to those who know its history, Liuchi Alley in Tongcheng symbolizes much more than its initial appearance would suggest.

During holidays, the lane fills with thousands of visitors each day — drawn there by the story of its creation and the lessons that can be learned from it.

The name derives from the Mandarin word for six and chi — a traditional Chinese unit of length that corresponds to one-third of a meter.

It was so named because of its width. In the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it served as the boundary between the households of two eminent families.

To the south was the Zhang family and to the north the Wu family. Both had male members in high positions within the court of Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) or in other regions around the country. But the two families quarreled.

The source of their dispute was the boundary between their two properties and which family had the right to build a wall on the dividing line.

After trying, and failing, to appeal to a regional official for mediation, the Zhangs wrote to Zhang Ying, their most prominent family member and a trusted top official in the emperor's court. His response, which is still celebrated in the form of a poem, did not provide the support for which his family had hoped.

Instead, he called for his kinfolk to step back 1 meter from the boundary — a suggestion that so moved the disputing parties, the story goes, that both did exactly that. Thus the alley was born.

The alley has often been cited in connection with thoughts on tolerance, morality, social order and the qualities that define a good official.

Although the walls defining the alley are replicas, people are still drawn to the area because of its back story.

To ordinary folk, the story is about how to get along with other people, while authorities think it can also serve as a guideline for officials.

The local government has made great efforts to restore the area to its original glory. It was reopened to visitors last year.