Tongcheng Six-Foot Lane, a harmonious city renowned

Six-Foot Lane, located in the southwest corner of Tongcheng City, Anhui Province, is 100 meters long and 2 meters wide. It was built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1662-1722). Stone archways stand at both ends of the lane, with the word 'courtesy' inscribed on them. 'A thousand miles of letters just for a wall, why not yield another three feet? The Great Wall still stands after thousands of miles, yet the First Emperor of Qin is nowhere to be seen.' This 'Yielding Wall Poem' originates from a historical anecdote of Six-Foot Lane. Historical records show that there was a gap next to the residence of Mr. Zhang Wenduan, which bordered the Wu family's property. The Wu family encroached upon it. Zhang's family sent a letter to the capital, and Mr. Zhang replied with instructions sent back home. Upon reading the letter, the family voluntarily yielded three feet of space. Subsequently, the neighbors, upon seeing this, also yielded three feet, hence the name Six-Foot Lane. During the Kangxi period, Zhang Ying served as the Grand Scholar of the Wenhua Hall and concurrently as the Minister of Rites. His family home in Tongcheng neighbored the Wu family, with an alley between their courtyards for mutual access. Later, when the Wu family wanted to build a new house and occupy this alley, the Zhang family disagreed. The dispute escalated to the local county office. The county official, considering the prestigious status of both families, dared not make a hasty decision. At this point, the Zhang family, in frustration, sent an urgent letter to Zhang Ying, asking him to intervene. After reading the letter, Zhang Ying believed in yielding to neighbors. He wrote four lines in his reply: 'A thousand miles of letters just for a wall, why not yield another three feet? The Great Wall still stands after thousands of miles, yet the First Emperor of Qin is nowhere to be seen.' After reading this, the family understood the message and voluntarily yielded three feet of land. Moved by this gesture, the Wu family also voluntarily yielded three feet of their foundation land, and thus 'Six-Foot Lane' got its name.