Xi Story: Six-foot alley reveals Chinese wisdom of making room for others

习主席的故事：六尺巷反映了中国人为他人礼让的智慧

HEFEI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — As shadows of tree leaves drift across the gray-brick walls of Liuchi Alley in Tongcheng City, east China’s Anhui Province, visitors take photos along the narrow lane, which is an example of neighborhood comity and harmony.

当华东安徽省桐城六尺巷的树叶的影子穿过灰色的砖墙时，游客们沿着狭窄的小巷拍照，这是邻里间礼让与和谐的一段佳话。

The alley is barely two meters wide, or six Chi. Chi is a traditional Chinese length unit that, under the modern market measurement system, equals approximately 1.09 feet.

巷子只有两米宽，或称六尺。尺是中国传统的计量长度的单位，按现代的市场丈量系统来换算，相当于大约1.09英尺。

The historical cultural site is known for the story of Zhang Ying, a first-rank Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) official, and his neighbor. To resolve a property boundary dispute, both sides voluntarily moved their courtyard walls roughly three feet backward, leaving a six-foot lane between their residences. It has stood as a centuries-old exemplary tale of mutual restraint, reciprocal respect and harmonious neighborly relations.

历史文化所在地之所以闻名，是因为主人公张英和他的邻居的故事，张英是清朝（1644年–1911年）一品宰相。为了解决房产边界的纠纷，双方自愿让自家院子后退大致三尺，留出六尺的巷子横在两家当中。这是一个通过双方的自我克制，相互尊重并和谐睦邻关系的一个流传百年的范例。

When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the alley during an inspection tour in Anhui in October 2024, he paused before a wall recounting the story.

Xi noted that Liuchi Alley exemplifies the ancestral wisdom of dispute resolution and should serve as an educational site for carrying forward traditional Chinese culture, and that full play should be given to China’s traditional virtue of courtesy and modesty, so as to create a harmonious social environment where people can live and work in peace and happiness.

Zhang Yun, head of the Liuchi Alley community’s Party organization and a 12th-generation descendant of Zhang Ying, tells visitors how the alley came into being and draws on its values in community work.