Tongcheng Six-Foot Lane

Six-Foot Lane, located in the southwest corner of Tongcheng City, Anhui Province, is 100 meters long and 2 meters wide. It was built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1662-1722). Stone archways stand at both ends of the lane, with the characters for 'courtesy' inscribed on them. 'Thousands of miles of family letters are just for a wall, why not yield another three feet? The Great Wall still stands after thousands of miles, yet the First Emperor of Qin is nowhere to be seen.' This 'Yielding Wall Poem' originates from a historical anecdote of Six-Foot Lane. Historical records show that there was a gap next to the residence of Mr. Zhang Wenduan, which bordered the Wu family's property. The Wu family encroached upon it. Family members sent a letter to the capital, and Mr. Zhang replied with instructions to yield three feet. Upon receiving the letter, the family members withdrew and yielded three feet, and seeing this, the neighbors also yielded three feet, hence the name Six-Foot Lane. In 1956, Mao Zedong, while meeting with the Soviet ambassador to China, Eugene, quoted a poem: 'The Great Wall still stands after thousands of miles, yet the First Emperor of Qin is nowhere to be seen.' The origin of this poem is related to the 'Six-Foot Lane' in Tongcheng, Anhui.