Qingguo Lane
青果巷
A Ming and Qing old street beside the ancient Grand Canal, where the saying goes, "One Qingguo Lane holds half the history of Changzhou," with former homes of Tang Jingchuan, Qu Qiubai, Chao Yuen Ren and Zhou Youguang.
Qingguo Lane lies south of South Street in the old city of Changzhou, close to the ancient Grand Canal (also called Nanshi River). It dates back to the Ming dynasty and was originally called "Qianguo Lane" (Thousand-Fruit Lane) because fruit boats once moored and traded by the canal. The name later became Qingguo Lane through a similar-sounding pronunciation. The lane preserves many Ming and Qing residences and former homes of notable figures, including the Zhenhe Hall, the former residence of Tang Jingchuan (Tang Shunzhi), a Ming-dynasty official who fought Japanese pirates, the former home of linguist Chao Yuen Ren, and the home of Zhou Youguang, the "father of Hanyu Pinyin." Former residences of Qu Qiubai and Shi Liang are also here, which is why locals say that one Qingguo Lane holds half the history of Changzhou. After the lane was renovated and reopened in 2019, it added exhibitions of Changzhou intangible heritage, a academy, cafés and long-established snack shops serving silk-thread noodles, sesame cakes and crab-roe xiaolongbao. At night the lights along the river are beautiful, and you can take a canal boat to see both banks of the ancient Grand Canal. The lane is free to enter, but some former residence exhibits need reservations or charge separately. Allow about 2 hours. By subway, it is about a 10-minute walk from Culture Palace station on Line 1.
Opening hours
Neighborhood open all day; former residence museums approx. 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, some closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Qianhou Bei'an Historic District
- Nandajie Street & Shuanggui Fang Food Street
- Zhang Tailei Memorial Hall
- Tianning Temple & Pagoda
- Jinyuan Garden
- Qu Qiubai Memorial Hall
- Hongmei Park & Wenbi Pagoda
- Biji Lane