3 Places with The Most Romantic Names in Beijing

Three Places With the Most Romantic Names in Beijing

Irene Li, Associate Editor | Aug 4, 2022 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 247 reads

There are many places in Beijing with unique names. Some were named after nearby landmarks, others were named after food, animals, or even famous people. As it's Chinese Valentine's Day today (Aug 4), we thought we'd have a look at some of the places with the most romantic names in Beijing.

雨儿胡同 Yǔ'er Hútòng

Even though many hutongs don't have the nicest names, and some hutong names (before they were renamed) such as 鸡爪胡同 Jīzhuǎ Hútòng (Chicken Feet Alley) and 臭皮胡同 Chòupí Hútòng (Stinky Alley) don't sound all too pleasant, there are still some hutongs with names that sound quite poetic if you search hard enough…

One such hutong is Yu'er Hutong, which when translated roughly means "a Hutong where rain is falling." This Hutong starts at Nanluoguxiang in the east and ends in Dongbuyaqiao Hutong in the west. It was originally known as 雨笼胡同 Yǔlóng Hútòng during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) but was changed to Yu'er Hutong during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Many famous people once called this hutong home, including Dong Shuping, who ran Beihai Park in the Republican era, and Chinese painter Qi Baishi, who has a memorial hall there today.

Aside from the rich cultural background and historical footprints that can be found along this hutong, many Beijing locals feel the name Yu'er Hutong evokes the scene of a young couple walking along in the rain while holding hands. A romantic sight indeed.

芳草地 Fāngcǎodì

This area, which today lies in Beijing's CBD, has a peculiar name. Fancaodi in English roughly translates to "lush green lawn." During the Ming Dynasty, this area was home to many pine trees and was known as the Black Pine Forest. However, after the Qing came to power, the trees were cut down in order to create a large areas of grassland and wheat fields, hence the name Fangcaodi.

Su Shi, a famous Chinese poet, documented the beautiful scenery of areas like this in a Song era poem: "The fragrant grass slowly falls to sleep as spring walks away." Of course, the once beautiful lawns are nowhere to be found nowadays, as high-rise buildings have now taken over the area.

百花深处胡同 Bǎihuāshēnchù Hútòng

When it comes to the most romantic place name in Beijing, there is one place that really stands out: Baihuashenchu Hutong. The name, in literal translation, means "where flowers are hiding". It starts from Huguosi East Alley in the east and ends at Xinjiekou South Street in the west.

Legend has it that this alley got its name during the Ming Dynasty and that it stems from a young couple, who bought the land that would later become Baihuashenchu Hutong, to use as a vegetable garden. Later, the couple then also planted a variety of flowers, including peonies and plum blossoms, thus expanding the garden. Apparently there was even a pond full of lotuses to be found there. These large fields of flowers attracted many scholars to stop by and appreciate the scenery, so the place became known as Baihuashenchu.

After the couple passed away, the garden was left unattended for some time and was eventually turned into a street, but its name was preserved. However, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1796), it was briefly renamed 花局胡同 Huājú Hútòng, but was eventually changed back to Baihuashenchu during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor (r. 1879-1908).

Now, a famous rock song "One Night in Beijing" even references this place in its lyrics: "People say my old lover hides in Baihuashenchu."