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Dazhalan - Dashilan - the oldest commercial street
in Beijing 大栅栏
The centuries-old Dashilan (literally means “big fence”) Street
reopened in summer of 2008 after three years of renovations. Happily,
it remains the best place to buy traditional and typical Beijing goods –
and an opportunity to shop like they did in days gone by.
Cloaked in a shroud of scaffolding for as long as we can remember, the
new Qianmen Street running south from the Zhengyangmen Tower has
finally been revealed. Stretching as far as the eye can see and
crowded with tourists and locals, it’s a polished yet faithful reworking of
the original, minus the overcrowded hutong ‘slums’ that an Academy of
Beijing Social Sciences report condemned before its renovation began.
Now birdcage lanterns run its length, flower pots brighten its central
pathway and even the litter bins are disguised as proud stone stele.
But its shops still lie empty – row upon row of blank glass store fronts
ready to be occupied by designer boutiques and classy restaurants.
The Management Office suggests it won’t be long before we see the
likes of Apple, Nike and Rolex upping the ante on the street.
But Dashilan, one of the area’s most famous streets, has also
undergone a renovation, and is now more atmospheric and bustling
than ever. Established in 1420, Dashilan was Beijing’s old commercial
and entertainment street and its name in English means ‘Great Bamboo
Fence’. The reason? Each evening, a curfew meant merchants in the
area would erect a fence at either end of the street to deter thieves
Crammed with shops, restaurants, mini markets, theatres and tea
houses, it was well-known for selling everything from fruit, vegetables,
meat and fish to children’s kites, and, from the late 19th century,
Western goods such as tobacco, kerosene lamps and matches. Its tea
shops allowed rehearsing actors to practice during the afternoons to
draw more business, and the popularity of these performances
eventually spawned Peking Opera and a number of theatres.
According to historian Michael Aldrich, before the fall of the Qing
dynasty, carved wooden posts towered outside the doorways of some
of the shops on the street to identify those stores patronized by the
imperial court. Today, the carved posts are missing, but engravings
and colourful hand painted signs still boast of each shop’s prestigious
history. Here’s our guide to the ones to look out for:
No. 5 Ruifuxiang
Founded in 1893 by the Meng family, Ruifuxiang has a prestigious past
and was entrusted with making the first flag of the People’s Republic. Its
mission statement is to ‘cut the clouds to make garments from heaven’
and it’s crammed wall to wall with silk in a variety of styles.
Great for: getting a tailor made traditional qipao. The store offers
everything from ordinary custom tailoring to high-end pieces
embroidered by hand using a technique the shop has honoured since
its inception.
No. 7 Xiangyihao Silk Store
This store front is by far the most spectacular on Dashilan. Erected
during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, its intricate green wrought iron
façade was often mistaken for that of a church.
Great for: Nothing. Unfortunately these days the Silk Store is, not to put
too fine a point on it, full of crap.
No. 9 Ten Fu’s Tea
China’s most famous tea exporter has an outlet on Dashilan, and it’s
big. Staff speak English and are happy to help you pick and taste tea
before you buy. Their Jasmine leaves are legendary, but they sell
everything from flower tea to oolong and pu’er. Expect to pay around
150RMB for 100g of flower tea.
Great for: buying a quality, long lasting tea for drinking at home.
in Beijing 大栅栏
The centuries-old Dashilan (literally means “big fence”) Street
reopened in summer of 2008 after three years of renovations. Happily,
it remains the best place to buy traditional and typical Beijing goods –
and an opportunity to shop like they did in days gone by.
Cloaked in a shroud of scaffolding for as long as we can remember, the
new Qianmen Street running south from the Zhengyangmen Tower has
finally been revealed. Stretching as far as the eye can see and
crowded with tourists and locals, it’s a polished yet faithful reworking of
the original, minus the overcrowded hutong ‘slums’ that an Academy of
Beijing Social Sciences report condemned before its renovation began.
Now birdcage lanterns run its length, flower pots brighten its central
pathway and even the litter bins are disguised as proud stone stele.
But its shops still lie empty – row upon row of blank glass store fronts
ready to be occupied by designer boutiques and classy restaurants.
The Management Office suggests it won’t be long before we see the
likes of Apple, Nike and Rolex upping the ante on the street.
But Dashilan, one of the area’s most famous streets, has also
undergone a renovation, and is now more atmospheric and bustling
than ever. Established in 1420, Dashilan was Beijing’s old commercial
and entertainment street and its name in English means ‘Great Bamboo
Fence’. The reason? Each evening, a curfew meant merchants in the
area would erect a fence at either end of the street to deter thieves
Crammed with shops, restaurants, mini markets, theatres and tea
houses, it was well-known for selling everything from fruit, vegetables,
meat and fish to children’s kites, and, from the late 19th century,
Western goods such as tobacco, kerosene lamps and matches. Its tea
shops allowed rehearsing actors to practice during the afternoons to
draw more business, and the popularity of these performances
eventually spawned Peking Opera and a number of theatres.
According to historian Michael Aldrich, before the fall of the Qing
dynasty, carved wooden posts towered outside the doorways of some
of the shops on the street to identify those stores patronized by the
imperial court. Today, the carved posts are missing, but engravings
and colourful hand painted signs still boast of each shop’s prestigious
history. Here’s our guide to the ones to look out for:
No. 5 Ruifuxiang
Founded in 1893 by the Meng family, Ruifuxiang has a prestigious past
and was entrusted with making the first flag of the People’s Republic. Its
mission statement is to ‘cut the clouds to make garments from heaven’
and it’s crammed wall to wall with silk in a variety of styles.
Great for: getting a tailor made traditional qipao. The store offers
everything from ordinary custom tailoring to high-end pieces
embroidered by hand using a technique the shop has honoured since
its inception.
No. 7 Xiangyihao Silk Store
This store front is by far the most spectacular on Dashilan. Erected
during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, its intricate green wrought iron
façade was often mistaken for that of a church.
Great for: Nothing. Unfortunately these days the Silk Store is, not to put
too fine a point on it, full of crap.
No. 9 Ten Fu’s Tea
China’s most famous tea exporter has an outlet on Dashilan, and it’s
big. Staff speak English and are happy to help you pick and taste tea
before you buy. Their Jasmine leaves are legendary, but they sell
everything from flower tea to oolong and pu’er. Expect to pay around
150RMB for 100g of flower tea.
Great for: buying a quality, long lasting tea for drinking at home.
No. 14 Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop
This shop has been around since the early 1900s; the ‘yiyuan’ part of its name deriving from a Chinese saying that ‘at the
beginning of a new year, everything is fresh again’. Back then most of Zhangyiyuan’s tea was grown in Fujian province and
adapted to local Northern tastes for its customers on Dashilan. Now it sells characteristically strong tea from all over China,
and thankfully has kept its beautiful traditional packaging.
Great for: Buying a gift
No.15 Toy shop
This traditional but tiny folk toy shop sells an array of goods – some of them better quality than others. Bearded Peking
Opera masks, paper cuts, kites and spinning diablo are all sold here, as well as hairy monkeys – an incredibly delicate Qing
dynasty toy made from shed cicada skins and usually depicting the miniature primates going about various daily chores in
traditional Chinese clothing.
Great for: Reminding the kids of life’s more simple pleasures
No. 24 Tongrentang
The most famous traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy in China opened its first store on the site at which it now stands in
1702 – 73 years after senior royal physician Yue Xianyang set it up. Tongrentang’s motto may concern some: ‘that no
outsider witnesses the manufacturing process and our sincerity and trustworthiness are left to God’s judgement’, but it has a
long history of expertise. Today it sells all manner of herbs, ‘healing’ creatures and drinkable cures, but be sure to have a
consultation with a TCM practitioner before you start buying.
Great for: a quirky – and perhaps more effective – alternative to paracetamol.
No 25. Made in Paradise
This is no time honoured brand – just a modern chain that finds itself in an appropriate setting. Elegant women in traditional
Tibetan clothing mill around the small space while shoppers try on beautiful silver rings, leather cuffs, pashminas and
bejeweled bracelets. Incense hangs above the Buddhist shrine in one corner and almost everything is reasonably priced.
Great for: Disappearing into a mini oasis of calm for five minutes, and Tibetan jewellery.
No 31. Gao Bu Li restaurant
The famous baozi (steamed bun) restaurant from Tianjin has one of its busiest outposts on Dashilan, constantly packed with
hungry shoppers looking for a quality, time honoured snack. We suggest you do too – they’re delicious.
Great for: a tasty lunch or dinner in a traditional setting
No.34 Neiliansheng shoes
We love Neiliansheng for its vast array of traditional Chinese slippers and hard-wearing shoes, all made using traditional
techniques employed by the store since 1853. And you can watch the cobblers at work in the store’s window too. Expect to
pay around 200RMB for the classic black numbers, and a little extra for more modern styles.
Great for: Visitors who want traditional Beijing slippers or locals who want to see a revival of shoes that were actually comfy.
No.36 Beijing Daguanlou Cinema
Before you reach the end of the road, look out for the large stone monument to the birthplace of Chinese film. Though films
were first shown in Shanghai in 1896, Daguanlou became the first cinema in 1902 When forward-thinking entrepreneur and
filmmaker Ren Qingtai, who ran the nearby Fengtai Photo Studio, procured a copy of the first Chinese film Ding Jun Shan,
this is where it debuted. Now it’s a regular (if very small) cinema, and a mini museum (entry costs 35RMB). We’d recommend
the rarefied ‘Chinese Film Gallery I’ on the ground floor – unlike the relatively modern cinemas upstairs, this one is basically
a classic grey brick-walled room filled with Qing dynasty-style tables and 40 chairs. Old film stills line the walls, and an old-
style projector beams through the darkness in the way that oldschool projectors should.
Great for: a historical pitstop or a modern movie screening.
Address: 36 Dashilan, Xuanwu district, Beijing
Chinese address: 北京市宣武区大栅栏36号
Opening: 9am-midnight
Phone: 010-6303 0878
Transportation: Subway Line 2 at Qianmen
This shop has been around since the early 1900s; the ‘yiyuan’ part of its name deriving from a Chinese saying that ‘at the
beginning of a new year, everything is fresh again’. Back then most of Zhangyiyuan’s tea was grown in Fujian province and
adapted to local Northern tastes for its customers on Dashilan. Now it sells characteristically strong tea from all over China,
and thankfully has kept its beautiful traditional packaging.
Great for: Buying a gift
No.15 Toy shop
This traditional but tiny folk toy shop sells an array of goods – some of them better quality than others. Bearded Peking
Opera masks, paper cuts, kites and spinning diablo are all sold here, as well as hairy monkeys – an incredibly delicate Qing
dynasty toy made from shed cicada skins and usually depicting the miniature primates going about various daily chores in
traditional Chinese clothing.
Great for: Reminding the kids of life’s more simple pleasures
No. 24 Tongrentang
The most famous traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy in China opened its first store on the site at which it now stands in
1702 – 73 years after senior royal physician Yue Xianyang set it up. Tongrentang’s motto may concern some: ‘that no
outsider witnesses the manufacturing process and our sincerity and trustworthiness are left to God’s judgement’, but it has a
long history of expertise. Today it sells all manner of herbs, ‘healing’ creatures and drinkable cures, but be sure to have a
consultation with a TCM practitioner before you start buying.
Great for: a quirky – and perhaps more effective – alternative to paracetamol.
No 25. Made in Paradise
This is no time honoured brand – just a modern chain that finds itself in an appropriate setting. Elegant women in traditional
Tibetan clothing mill around the small space while shoppers try on beautiful silver rings, leather cuffs, pashminas and
bejeweled bracelets. Incense hangs above the Buddhist shrine in one corner and almost everything is reasonably priced.
Great for: Disappearing into a mini oasis of calm for five minutes, and Tibetan jewellery.
No 31. Gao Bu Li restaurant
The famous baozi (steamed bun) restaurant from Tianjin has one of its busiest outposts on Dashilan, constantly packed with
hungry shoppers looking for a quality, time honoured snack. We suggest you do too – they’re delicious.
Great for: a tasty lunch or dinner in a traditional setting
No.34 Neiliansheng shoes
We love Neiliansheng for its vast array of traditional Chinese slippers and hard-wearing shoes, all made using traditional
techniques employed by the store since 1853. And you can watch the cobblers at work in the store’s window too. Expect to
pay around 200RMB for the classic black numbers, and a little extra for more modern styles.
Great for: Visitors who want traditional Beijing slippers or locals who want to see a revival of shoes that were actually comfy.
No.36 Beijing Daguanlou Cinema
Before you reach the end of the road, look out for the large stone monument to the birthplace of Chinese film. Though films
were first shown in Shanghai in 1896, Daguanlou became the first cinema in 1902 When forward-thinking entrepreneur and
filmmaker Ren Qingtai, who ran the nearby Fengtai Photo Studio, procured a copy of the first Chinese film Ding Jun Shan,
this is where it debuted. Now it’s a regular (if very small) cinema, and a mini museum (entry costs 35RMB). We’d recommend
the rarefied ‘Chinese Film Gallery I’ on the ground floor – unlike the relatively modern cinemas upstairs, this one is basically
a classic grey brick-walled room filled with Qing dynasty-style tables and 40 chairs. Old film stills line the walls, and an old-
style projector beams through the darkness in the way that oldschool projectors should.
Great for: a historical pitstop or a modern movie screening.
Address: 36 Dashilan, Xuanwu district, Beijing
Chinese address: 北京市宣武区大栅栏36号
Opening: 9am-midnight
Phone: 010-6303 0878
Transportation: Subway Line 2 at Qianmen
大栅栏商业街
大栅栏：读做“大石烂儿”（dàshílànr）是北京市前门外一条著名的商业街。
旧时曾有“京师之精华尽在于此，热闹繁华，亦莫过于此”，“繁华市井何处
有，大栅栏内去 转游”的美誉。大栅栏街原称廊房四条，距今已有近５００
年的历史。 现也泛指大栅栏街及廊房头条、粮食店街、煤市街在内的一个
地片。大栅栏地处古老北京中心地段，是南中轴线的一个重要组成部分，
位于天安门广场以南，前门大街西侧，从东口至西口全长275米。自明朝永
乐18年（1420年）以来，经过500多年的沿革，逐渐发展成为店铺林立的
商业街了。在大栅栏分布着11个行业的36家商店。
沿革
大栅栏在北京历史上是繁华的商业娱乐中心，过去人们以“京师之精华尽在
于此，热闹繁华，亦莫过于此”的美誉来称赞大栅栏。“大栅栏”最初并不称
此名，而是叫廊房四条，附近还有廊房头、二、三条。在《明北京城图》
上标的就是“廊房四条”，而到了《乾隆京城全图》的时候，上面标的名称才
改成了“大栅栏”。
大栅栏的设置在明代就有了，明孝宗弘治元年(1488年)就下令在北京城内
大街曲巷设立栅栏，并派士兵把守，以防盗贼。到了清代，这里已成为主
要的商业中心，因为买卖多，为了能够有效地防止盗贼，栅栏建得比其他
地方都大，也都好看，所以才叫“大栅栏”。
大栅栏成了商业中心以后，一些著名的老字号相继开设于此。明代即有已
开业的六必居酱园；清代康熙年间开业的著名国药店同仁堂；嘉庆年间开
业的马聚元帽店、内联升鞋店，以及后来拥有四个门面的八大祥之一——
瑞蚨祥绸缎皮货庄等。
吃喝有长盛魁干果店、张一元文记茶庄、厚德福饭庄、全聚德等；娱乐则
有庆乐园、三庆园、广德楼等。这里还有民国初年开业的北京第一家电影
院——大观楼电影院。中国首部电影《定军山》就是在这里上映的。大栅
栏街区至今保存着明末清初的“三纵九横”的格局，“三纵”指的是煤市街、珠
宝市街以及粮食店街；“九横”指的是大栅栏的九条东西向的胡同。
商业老字号
作为一个有着数百年历史的老商业街，在大栅栏有不少国内外闻名的老字
号，如经营中药的同仁堂，经营布匹绸缎的瑞蚨祥，经营帽子的马聚元，
经营布鞋的内联升，经营茶叶的张一元，经营酱菜的六必居，此外还有一
品斋、步瀛斋、聚顺和、长乘魁等都是拥有百年历史的老字号。
“同仁堂国药店”开业于清康熙八年（公元１６６９年），以经营 自制的
丸、散、膏、丹而闻名于全国；
“马聚源帽店”开业于清嘉庆十六年 （公元１８１１年），专为皇室和王公
贵族制做朝帽、缎鞋，后以生产民族帽见长；
居“八大祥”之首的“瑞蚨祥绸缎皮货庄”开业于清光绪十九年（ 公元１８９３
年），除经营绸缎布匹外，还兼营皮货和茶叶；
“内联升鞋店 ”开业于清咸丰三年（公元１８５３年），专为皇室和外任官
员做朝靴。
大栅栏：读做“大石烂儿”（dàshílànr）是北京市前门外一条著名的商业街。
旧时曾有“京师之精华尽在于此，热闹繁华，亦莫过于此”，“繁华市井何处
有，大栅栏内去 转游”的美誉。大栅栏街原称廊房四条，距今已有近５００
年的历史。 现也泛指大栅栏街及廊房头条、粮食店街、煤市街在内的一个
地片。大栅栏地处古老北京中心地段，是南中轴线的一个重要组成部分，
位于天安门广场以南，前门大街西侧，从东口至西口全长275米。自明朝永
乐18年（1420年）以来，经过500多年的沿革，逐渐发展成为店铺林立的
商业街了。在大栅栏分布着11个行业的36家商店。
沿革
大栅栏在北京历史上是繁华的商业娱乐中心，过去人们以“京师之精华尽在
于此，热闹繁华，亦莫过于此”的美誉来称赞大栅栏。“大栅栏”最初并不称
此名，而是叫廊房四条，附近还有廊房头、二、三条。在《明北京城图》
上标的就是“廊房四条”，而到了《乾隆京城全图》的时候，上面标的名称才
改成了“大栅栏”。
大栅栏的设置在明代就有了，明孝宗弘治元年(1488年)就下令在北京城内
大街曲巷设立栅栏，并派士兵把守，以防盗贼。到了清代，这里已成为主
要的商业中心，因为买卖多，为了能够有效地防止盗贼，栅栏建得比其他
地方都大，也都好看，所以才叫“大栅栏”。
大栅栏成了商业中心以后，一些著名的老字号相继开设于此。明代即有已
开业的六必居酱园；清代康熙年间开业的著名国药店同仁堂；嘉庆年间开
业的马聚元帽店、内联升鞋店，以及后来拥有四个门面的八大祥之一——
瑞蚨祥绸缎皮货庄等。
吃喝有长盛魁干果店、张一元文记茶庄、厚德福饭庄、全聚德等；娱乐则
有庆乐园、三庆园、广德楼等。这里还有民国初年开业的北京第一家电影
院——大观楼电影院。中国首部电影《定军山》就是在这里上映的。大栅
栏街区至今保存着明末清初的“三纵九横”的格局，“三纵”指的是煤市街、珠
宝市街以及粮食店街；“九横”指的是大栅栏的九条东西向的胡同。
商业老字号
作为一个有着数百年历史的老商业街，在大栅栏有不少国内外闻名的老字
号，如经营中药的同仁堂，经营布匹绸缎的瑞蚨祥，经营帽子的马聚元，
经营布鞋的内联升，经营茶叶的张一元，经营酱菜的六必居，此外还有一
品斋、步瀛斋、聚顺和、长乘魁等都是拥有百年历史的老字号。
“同仁堂国药店”开业于清康熙八年（公元１６６９年），以经营 自制的
丸、散、膏、丹而闻名于全国；
“马聚源帽店”开业于清嘉庆十六年 （公元１８１１年），专为皇室和王公
贵族制做朝帽、缎鞋，后以生产民族帽见长；
居“八大祥”之首的“瑞蚨祥绸缎皮货庄”开业于清光绪十九年（ 公元１８９３
年），除经营绸缎布匹外，还兼营皮货和茶叶；
“内联升鞋店 ”开业于清咸丰三年（公元１８５３年），专为皇室和外任官
员做朝靴。
| 大栅栏电子地图 |
相关文章：
另外，具有几十年历史的老字号还有“南豫丰烟店”、“天惠斋鼻烟店”、“ 长和厚绒线铺”、“张一元茶庄”、“步瀛斋鞋店”等，都享有很
高的声誉。
曾经在京城流传顺口溜“头顶马聚元，脚踩内联升，身穿八大祥，腰缠四大恒”以此作为有身份有地位的象征，其中提到的马聚元、
内联升、八大祥、四大恒都是大栅栏的商户银号。
除了商号，大栅栏还曾经是京城的一处娱乐中心， 当年这里有庆乐园、 三庆园、广德楼、广和园和同乐园等五家著名的戏园子，以
及民国初年开业 的北京第一家电影院——大观楼电影院，住在内城的人们多要来此看夜戏， 增强了这里的热闹气氛，也促进了大栅
栏的繁荣。
尤其是清末民初，每逢上 元节灯市京城人纷纷来此观灯、游逛、购物，更加强了这一地区的繁荣。
1900 年５月，遭义和团焚毁，同年７月又受八国联军破坏，曾一度变得门庭冷落 。后经逐步恢复，很快又繁盛如初。
１９４９年以后，人民政府对大栅栏商业区进行了大规模的调整、改造 ，不仅保留了老字号店铺和特色商品，又新开办了许多国营
商店和专业商店 ，如大栅栏百货一场、二场、前门妇女服装店、新时代儿童用品商店等，使 这里更加繁华。原有戏园也进一步得到
更新，使其具有多种功能。
2008 年7月30日，北京大栅栏商业街完成近年来规模最大的一次修缮改造工程，正式开街迎接八方来客。此次整体改造通过文物修
复、保护修缮、风貌整饰、改造整治四类工程，使大栅栏商业街集文化、商业、旅游于一体，成为京城老字号企业汇聚地、特色品
牌产品集散地和古都风貌游览区。
高的声誉。
曾经在京城流传顺口溜“头顶马聚元，脚踩内联升，身穿八大祥，腰缠四大恒”以此作为有身份有地位的象征，其中提到的马聚元、
内联升、八大祥、四大恒都是大栅栏的商户银号。
除了商号，大栅栏还曾经是京城的一处娱乐中心， 当年这里有庆乐园、 三庆园、广德楼、广和园和同乐园等五家著名的戏园子，以
及民国初年开业 的北京第一家电影院——大观楼电影院，住在内城的人们多要来此看夜戏， 增强了这里的热闹气氛，也促进了大栅
栏的繁荣。
尤其是清末民初，每逢上 元节灯市京城人纷纷来此观灯、游逛、购物，更加强了这一地区的繁荣。
1900 年５月，遭义和团焚毁，同年７月又受八国联军破坏，曾一度变得门庭冷落 。后经逐步恢复，很快又繁盛如初。
１９４９年以后，人民政府对大栅栏商业区进行了大规模的调整、改造 ，不仅保留了老字号店铺和特色商品，又新开办了许多国营
商店和专业商店 ，如大栅栏百货一场、二场、前门妇女服装店、新时代儿童用品商店等，使 这里更加繁华。原有戏园也进一步得到
更新，使其具有多种功能。
2008 年7月30日，北京大栅栏商业街完成近年来规模最大的一次修缮改造工程，正式开街迎接八方来客。此次整体改造通过文物修
复、保护修缮、风貌整饰、改造整治四类工程，使大栅栏商业街集文化、商业、旅游于一体，成为京城老字号企业汇聚地、特色品
牌产品集散地和古都风貌游览区。