Changzhou Qingguo Lane 常州青果巷

As one of the ancient streets and alleys in Changzhou, it is situated in the south of the central part of the Changzhou Old City. It is opposite to the ancient canal in the south, starts from Zhengsu Lane in the East, reaches Jinling Middle Road in the west. It is direct to the commercial center of South Street, and reaches the ancient village in the north. The whole block extends about 400 m from east to west and 200 m from north to south, covering an area of about 8.7 hectares.

Qingguo Lane, as the most fully preserved ancient block, has the richest cultural resources of the canal. It features the traditional architectural style of the south of the Yangtze River, which embraces the ancient city with the city and the river depending on each other. The celebrity’s former residences, theater theaters, wharf archways and other remains are distributed among them, including 3 cultural protection units, 6 provincial-level cultural preservation units, 7 municipal-level cultural preservation units, 17 historical buildings, and over 10 ancient wells. It can be called the “Ming and Qing Architectural Museum.” There are also cultural exhibition halls like the Tianxiang Building, the birthplace of Qu Qiubai, the former residence of Shi Liang, Zhao Yuanren Art Center, Zhou Youguang Library, Tang Jingchuan Memorial Hall, the Qingguo Lane Cultural Memory Hall, and the Red Green Fruit Hall.

Qingguo Lane is the place of Changzhou culture. There are nearly 100 talented persons in the imperial examination and numerous modern celebrities from different walks of life. Therefore, it is also praised as “The First Lane of Jiangnan Celebrities.”