The dragon’s lair

We have reported on the places to go to see dragons, but what about those places where the dragons really are hidden? We took a tour of the city to find some interesting spots that have been shaped by this auspicious creature.

Long Tou Jing Jie

Located in the north of Dianmenxi Dajie, the street gets it name from long tou jing (dragon head well) and dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). When Beijing was gripped by drought, the long tou jing always had water. As a result, some came to believe there was a dragon hidden in the well that constantly generated water. When this rumor spread, people visited the area to catch a glimpse of the dragon. Much to their disappointment they found nothing, but the well gained another name, ren tou jing, meaning the people's head well, to describe the gathering crowds. Sadly the well no longer exists.

Er Long Lu

Located on the west side of Xidan Beidajie, this wide road used to be a narrow river that once formed the city moat in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties. The river was in the shape of a waving dragon. Then, in 1912, the river was covered with earth for road construction, which formed the outline of Er Long Lu today.

Shang Long Nan Xiang

Like Long Tou Jing Jie, Shang Long Nan Xiang also had a well associated with a dragon. This well not only captured ordinary people's attention, but also royal attention. The reason? Its fresh water that drew water carts to it daily to transport the water directly to the Forbidden City for royal consumption. Rumor has it that because of its royal connection, ordinary people could not actually get close to the well.Unfortunately this precious well has also disappeared from Beijing.

Long Xu Gou Lu

Today's Long Xu Gou Lu is nothing but a road that stretches from east to west. But decades ago, it was a soothing stream that drew lovers and writers alike. The famous Chinese writer, Lao She, even wrote a drama called Long Xu Gou. The stream dates back to the Qing Dynasty when it was four meters wide and ran from Donggouba Hutong near Zhengyangmen (Zhengyang city gate) in the north to the Temple of Heaven in the south, before flowing into a moat. This long, narrow stream was not that impressive apart from its distance though. In Jing Chen Za Lu, an old documentary book about Beijing from that period, the Long Xu stream was described as a smelly waterway used for dispatching waste. It was not until a series of renovation projects happened that the stream's water became fresh.

Qing Long Hutong

Neither a well nor a stream, the dragon of this area related to the Qing Long temple that was once there. Almost every hutong had a temple for people to pray in and ask for a year without floods or drought, but few had ones that related to a dragon, which this one did. Now, the Qing Long Hutong, due to its ideal location in the busy downtown region, is partly demolished.