Let’s talk about the evolution of Baoding City over the past dynasties. A map of the ancient city area is also useful.

As "cities" surrounded by city walls and gates continued to appear in ancient times, cities and villages gradually separated. Despite this, it is impossible to cut off contact between the two. Because the city is the political, economic and cultural center of the capital, prefecture and county, but it cannot produce food and other agricultural products. People in the city need to eat and clothe themselves. Farmers in the countryside outside the city produce agricultural and sideline products that they cannot eat themselves. In exchange for the goods in the city that you need. This place for exchanges between city and country people is the "city". Filtered ads

"Cities" are usually located on the edge of the city and are just temporary places at first. Because transactions do not happen every day, or during festivals, or on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, farmers from all over the surrounding countryside come with goods to be exchanged and gather together to exchange with city people. This is called "going to market" and is the original form of "market".

Later, exchange developed into trade and the frequency increased, so the temporary "market" became a regular "market". Later, people became accustomed to combining "city" and "city" and called them "city". However, there were deep-rooted differences between the two, which was particularly prominent in the hierarchical feudal society. Since ancient times, the construction of cities has been regarded as a major event, and the degree of attention it attaches to is first reflected in the layout and planning of "city" and "city". The perfection of planning is almost as detailed as the width of the city, the width of the streets, the location, the distribution of the roads, etc., all have their own rules, and the hierarchical concept of honor and inferiority is reflected everywhere.

The construction of Baoding City Wall also followed this principle. After the five dynasties of Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing, as well as the Republic of China and the founding of New China, construction began in the Song Dynasty, but it was first destroyed and then built in the Yuan Dynasty, laying the foundation for today's Baoding Old City. The architecture of Baoding city walls and the formation and development of the scale of streets and alleys in the city all began in the Yuan Dynasty. During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the writer Yuan Haowen left a more comprehensive record of this in "The Construction of Shuntian Prefecture", which enables us to I know that the reconstruction of Baozhou City at that time had the following characteristics:

(1) Based on reality and comprehensive planning. "Drawing markets, setting up residential buildings, and setting up government offices", "controlling the land to determine its potential", and paying special attention to the development and utilization of water resources. In the southwest of the city, due to the topography, the adjacent water protrudes, giving the city a boot-shaped shape. In the center of the city is the Yamen in the north and the residence in the south. According to Kanyu (Feng Shui) theory, the east and west streets are connected, and the north and south streets are staggered by a certain distance to form a T-shaped street. The water from Yimu Spring and Jige Spring is drawn from outside the city "as a new canal, flowing in from the West Water Gate". It goes eastward along the city, around the ancient lotus pond to the east, returns to the north and turns out from the North Water Gate. The area occupies four-tenths of the city. There are five larger ponds in the city, "Liutang, Xixi, Nanhu, Beitan, and Yunjinkou. At the turn of summer and autumn, lotus ponds are like embroidery, flying up and down." Boats can sail among them and cast nets. Get fish. It not only solves the problem of the original Baozhou City that "wells and springs are salty and salty and cannot be eaten", but also shows the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River where "the deep waters are deep and soft, and the waterfowl can accommodate them".

(2) The scale of the city is magnificent, which enhances the city’s functions. The scale of residential quarters for officials and residents in the city is planned in a unified manner and divided into ten quarters: Jiquan, Wuze, Maoqian, Guihou, Xunli, Qianshan, Youyi, Fumin, Guiyi and Xingwen ("square" means Residential areas divided into blocks by streets. In the early years of the Republic of China, "fang" was just the name of a street administrative area); the city was densely covered with water networks, and ten bridges were built to connect them; there were also Laiqing bridges built on the bridges. The four floors of "Floating Garden", "Fengfeng Garden" and "Tide Dividing Garden" are for people to have fun and relax; use the water in the city to build four gardens: called Zhongxiang in the west, Fangyuan in the north, Xuexiang in the south, and Shouchun in the east. Sixteen Buddhist temples were restored and built: Richuyin, Hongfu, Tianning, Xingguo, Zhifa, Hongji, Baoen, Puji, Dayun, Chongyan, Tianwang, Xingfu, Qing'an, Pure Land (Xida Temple), and Yongning Dabei Pavilion. There are eleven Taoist temples: Shenxiao, Tianqing, Qingning, Dongyuan, Xuanwu, Quanzhen, Chaoyuan, Xuanzhen, Qingyun, Chaozhen. One will be built, nine will be built, and two of the old ones will be restored. There are four temples: Sanhuang (Three Emperors Temple), Daizong (Dongyue Temple), Wu'an (Guandi Temple), and Chenghuang (City God Temple).

(3) Streets and alleys are formed in the urban construction pattern, and the development of the city promotes the increase and change of streets and alleys. Because when building a city, you need to build city walls, and when you have city walls, you need to open city gates. With city gates, facing the city gates are streets. On both sides of the streets that run across the main road, through the gates are the same large and small courtyards and triple courtyards. The houses are connected to form alleys of different widths, which provide convenient access for vehicles, horses and pedestrians, and form a vein connecting the residences to the intertwined main roads.

It is these alleys and small streets that are filled together to form squares, and the squares become residential areas in the city. Whether it is an earthen city in the Yuan Dynasty or a brick city in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this grid pattern has not changed much for hundreds of years.

In the late Qing Dynasty, with the development of the city and changes in the environment (such as the filling of waterways and puddles), the government offices moved and the streets and alleys changed accordingly. At that time, there were four streets in Baoding city (the mule and horse market was in North Street, the coal market was in Nanguan, the vegetable market was in Dongguan, and the gray market was in Xiguan), Eight Streets (four streets in the east, south, west, and north of the city and four in Chengguan). Street), seventy-two alleys. After entering the People's Republic of China, with the increase in urban population and the construction of new residences, the number of streets and alleys increased compared with before. At that time, there were 49 named streets and 126 large and small alleys in the city. The name Baoding Hutong came into being when Baozhou City was rebuilt in the Yuan Dynasty.

According to research by scholars, the word "hutong" was first seen in Yuan opera. For example, Guan Hanqing's "Single Sword Club" contains the phrase "a bloody alley comes out". As for the origin of the word hutong, according to the book "Hutong in Beijing", although "hutong" is a special term that appeared in the architectural layout of northern Chinese cities in the Yuan Dynasty, there are three explanations for it. One is that "hutong" comes from Mongolia The word "water merges". Water is an indispensable resource in life, so people live together around water wells. The wells are transformed into streets and alleys, which are called hutongs; secondly, hutongs are equivalent to small roads, side streets, alleys, etc. It also comes from Mongolian; third, at the end of the Jin Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols began to build Yuan Dadu (i.e. Beijing City). At that time, the houses of residents in the city were divided into pieces, with passages in the middle. This passage is pronounced in Mongolian It was called "Fire Eyes" and was later pronounced as Hutong.

From the origin of Baoding Hutongs, their names and characteristics all exude a strong Baoding style. Almost every alley has a history and an ancient story and legend, recording the historical style of Baoding. The names of Baoding Hutongs are rich and colorful, both simple and vivid. They are not only interesting but also rich in cultural connotations.

Baoding’s hutongs appeared after the city was established, and the origins and changes of their names go hand in hand with the history of Baoding’s urban construction. As early as the Song Dynasty, Baoding was a border city where the Song and Liao dynasties confronted each other. During the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, it evolved from Luzhi and Fuye to provincial government. In the first year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1403), the Daning Dusi, the head of the three provincial divisions, was moved to Baoding. In the eighth year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1669), the governor of Zhili was moved to Baoding. Since then, Baoding has become the political, military and cultural center of Zhili Province. center.

At the same time, the scale of the city is also expanding day by day. Government offices, official residences, temples, ancestral halls, schools, shops, markets and residential buildings connect all streets and alleys to form a city of a certain scale. When the hutong, which is the smallest unit of urban traffic, is formed, people will naturally give it a name. Once this name is accepted by people and is called out, it represents the position of the hutong in the city and becomes It is an indispensable symbol in people's communication, visiting and social activities, and it is also the basis for distinguishing it from other alleys. The name of Baoding Hutong has been passed down orally from people to people since the founding of the city by Zhang Rou in the Yuan Dynasty, and has been recorded by the government. As for using words to write on signs and hang them at the entrance of alleys, that only started in 1918.

The names of alleys generally reflect the salient features of the area. Therefore, many alleys in Baoding are named after a conspicuous, famous or image sign. In the early years, the most conspicuous and prominent symbols were city gates, government offices, temples, ancestral halls, government schools, rivers, and wells. Named after the city gate. Such as: Ximen North Horse Road, Ximen South Horse Road. It is named after the government offices of past dynasties. For example: the street in front of the Governor's Office is called the Governor's Office (provincial government in the Republic of China) Qian Street, the section in front of the Baoding Government Office is called the Gate of the Government, and the further west is called Zhensi Street because it is the residence of the Chasi Department. In the late Qing Dynasty, the name of the Government Office was changed. Shisi, the street name was subsequently changed to Tifasi Street. The street where the Qingyuan County Office originally lived was called Jiuxian Street. Hutongs named after temples, such as Sanhuang Temple Street (now Stadium Street), are because there is a Sanhuang Temple on the north side of Xitou Road in this street. Chenghuang Temple Street is named after the magnificent Chenghuang Temple at the north end of the street.

Guanyue Temple Hutong is also named because the east side of the alley is close to the Guanyue Temple rebuilt by Cao Kun. Similar alleys include Lingyu Temple Street, Jiu Sheng'an, Baiyi'an, and Dawudaomiao Street. wait. Hutong names named after topography and shape characteristics include: Zhenyuanba Hutong, Eggplant Hutong, Lendou Hutong, Zaoer Hutong, Butai Hutong (later Ya changed to Boai Hutong), Qiangseam Hutong (later Ya changed to Xiangfeng Hutong). Named after directions, such as: West Street, East Street, South Street, North Street, Nanyi Hutong, Beiyi Hutong, etc.

Those named after wells, such as Shanjing Hutong, Shuangjing Hutong, Hujiajing, Jing'er Hutong, etc. Those named after surnames, such as Liangjia Hutong, Dajiajia Hutong, and Tangjia Hutong. Those named after rivers, such as: Nanhepo, Beihepo, Xiheyan, Dongheyan, Zihetao.

Those named after the places where people of the same trade live together, such as Sha Niu Hutong (Ya changed to Sha Niu) and Sha Zhu Hutong (Ya changed to Sazhu). Named after the residences of historical celebrities, such as Shuaifu Hutong (the residence of Marshal Zhang Rou in the Yuan Dynasty) and Xiangfu Hutong (Yu Chenglong, the governor of Zhili in the Qing Dynasty, once lived here because he received the title of Prince Shaobao and was known as a prime minister). Named), Dafudi, Guogong Street (Liu Ge lived here in the Ming Dynasty). It is called Civil and Military Hutong because it is said that there were two civil and military officials living in the street during the Ming Dynasty. To commemorate the story of the Warring States Period when King Yan Zhao worshiped the doctor Guo Wei as his disciple and built a golden platform to recruit talents, the street where a post station was set up was named Jintaiyi Street. In addition, there is an evocative and interesting legend named "Three mountains cannot be seen, and four rivers cannot flow". The three mountains refer to Daliang Mountain, Xiaoliang Mountain and Taishan Palace; the four rivers refer to Dongdakeng and Wowotou Keng in the northeast, Nanhe Keng in the southeast, and Xihe Keng in the southwest. Although there is the word mountain, it is not a mountain, but a street name. Although there is water, it cannot flow, but a puddle.

In the early days of the liberation of Baoding City and after the "Cultural Revolution", only the names of streets and lanes that were inelegant or time-sensitive were changed. The names that were changed during the "Cultural Revolution" were restored, and other streets were renamed. The hutong basically continues its original name. After the reform and opening up, especially since entering the 21st century, Baoding's urban construction has taken unprecedented steps, and the urban area has formed new and old urban areas with different characteristics; with the acceleration of old city reconstruction and road network construction projects, The urban street conditions have undergone great changes. Not only have many administrative avenues been opened in the new city, but the streets and alleys in the ancient city have also changed their appearance. In the great changes, some old street place names will inevitably disappear. Newly opened streets are in urgent need of naming. The original street naming and place name signage are also relatively lagging behind. There are roads with no names, named roads with no names, multiple names and road signs. , door (building) plate numbers are confusing, outdated, incomplete, etc. People from all walks of life and citizens have repeatedly expressed and suggested solutions to this problem.

Based on this, the municipal government spent two years (2003-2004) carrying out large-scale standardization and adjustment of urban street names. In the adjustment of urban street names, attention was paid to retaining old place names with rich historical and cultural connotations, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Regulations on the Administration of Place Names" of the State Council and the "Implementation Rules of the Regulations on the Administration of Place Names" of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and based on the actual conditions of urban streets, the Based on the adjustment principle of "roads from east to west, streets from north to south, one name for each road, distinction between old and new, and more use of the original name", the "three musts and six don's" rules for place names were formulated, that is: they must reflect the local historical, geographical and humanistic characteristics; Reflect hierarchies; serialize, standardize, and scientificize; maintain national dignity and national unity; do not use names of people; do not use foreign place names; do not use political slogans or time-sensitive words; do not use administrative divisions, famous mountains and rivers, simple numbers, Simple directional naming; no duplicate names; different pronunciations. Insisting on naming the streets not only respects the tradition of officials, but also reflects the characteristics of the city.

At the same time, considering that Baoding is a famous historical and cultural city named by the State Council, many place names in the ancient city contain rich historical culture or folk customs and are witnesses of the city’s development history. Once it disappears, the cultural connotation of the city will undoubtedly be lost. Therefore, in the adjustment, we focused on adhering to the principle of "differentiation between old and new" between the ancient city and the new city, and retained a certain number of the original place names of the ancient city. After adjustment, there are 156 large and small streets and 103 alleys in the urban area. All the place name signs of these streets have been updated and installed. The newly established signs are solemn, generous and eye-catching, basically covering urban streets and alleys, adding new highlights, making place names truly play the role of business cards and enhancing the cultural taste of the city.