Sanfang Qixiang ( zh, c=三坊七巷, p=sān fāng qī xiàng;

Foochow Romanized Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Mindong linguistic and cultural region. Fuzhou's population was 8 ...

: '), literally Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, is a historic and cultural area in the city of

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

. Its name is derived from the three lanes ( zh, c=坊, p=fāng;

: ) and the seven alleys ( zh, c=巷, p=xiàng

: ) that comprise the area. These are namely: ;Three ''Fang'' * Yijin Lane ( zh, c=衣锦坊) * Wenru Lane ( zh, c=文儒坊) * Guanglu Lane ( zh, c=光禄坊) ;Seven ''Xiang'' * Yangqiao Alley ( zh, c=杨桥巷) * Langguan Alley ( zh, c=郎官巷) * Ta Alley ( zh, c=塔巷) * Huang Alley ( zh, c=黄巷) * Anmin Alley ( zh, c=安民巷) * Gong Alley ( zh, c=宫巷) * Jipi Alley ( zh, c=吉庇巷) The district is trisected by the north-south thoroughfares Tonghu Road ( zh, c=通湖路) and Nanhou Street ( zh, s=南后街, t=南後路), and bounded by Bayiqi Road ( zh, c=八一七路) to the east and Baima Road ( zh, t=白馬路, s=白马路) to the west. Covering a total area of , it is celebrated as an architectural museum of Ming and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

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 Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was a head of state (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynasty ...

* Chen Baochen * Zheng Xiaoxu * Shen Baozhen * Sa Zhenbing *

Yan Fu Yan Fu (; courtesy name Ji Dao (); 8 January 1854 – 27 October 1921) was a Chinese military officer, newspaper editor, translator, and writer. He is most known for introducing Western ideas to China during the late 19th century. Life On Janua ...

* 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 ( zh, c= 里坊制, p=lǐfāng-zhì), a traditional form of

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

dating back as early as the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. 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 The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is a ministry of the People's Republic of China which provides housing and regulates the state construction activities in mainland China. History It was formerly known as the Ministry of Co ...

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.UNESCO Bangkok
"2015 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards Winners Announced"
1 September 2015. Retrieved on 1 September 2015.

References

{{coord missing, Fujian Tourist attractions in Fuzhou Buildings and structures in Fuzhou Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Fujian Fuzhou