The Dongxi Alley, adjacent to the Jingjiang Princes' City, is indeed a treasured place known as 'Azure Dragon and White Tiger'!

Dongxi Alley, located on the east side of Zhengyang Gate (Duanli Gate) of Guilin's Jingjiang Princes' City, enjoys the reputation of being a treasured land of 'Azure Dragon and White Tiger'. The original site of the East Alley was the location of ancestral temples, while the West Alley was where the Altar of the Earth and Grain was situated, that is, 'left ancestral temple and right earth altar'. With the transformation of the Jingjiang Princes' Mansion into a provincial examination hall, the area around the hall became a place for scholars from all over to prepare for their exams, with inns and bookshops densely packed. Dongxi Alley also became a feng shui treasured land where scholars and merchants gathered, officials and dignitaries settled, and the birthplace of old and distinguished brands, witnessing nearly a thousand years of Guilin's development. In old times, Guilin's East Alley had four major scholarly families: Wei, Xie, Cen, and Long. The Long family cultivated two 'brother Hanlin' in the Qing Dynasty, Long Chaoyan and Long Chaoyi, as well as the only female bhikkhuni 'Shi Kuanneng' who had relics after nirvana. The Xie and Geng family lived in Lanjing Alley all along. He was arranged to be the confidential secretary of Bai Chongxi, and his father Xie Shunci was a famous calligrapher in Guilin. No. 7 East Alley was the former residence of Ma Qibang. It is a small European-style building with a podocarpus in the inner courtyard. Ma Qibang was a Hui Muslim, once served as the head of the police department, and was a capable assistant to Bai Chongxi. The residence of Cen Chunxuan, that is, the site of the Cen family ancestral temple, is superimposed on the site of the Ming Dynasty Jingjiang Princes' ancestral temple. Cen Chunxuan was the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in the late Qing Dynasty, and together with his father Cen Yuying and his uncle Cen Yubao, they were known as 'three governors in one family'. Cen Chunxuan founded Shanxi University Hall, was fearless of the powerful, severely punished corrupt officials, and was promoted by the south as the commander-in-chief of the army against Yuan Shikai, with the saying 'Yuan in the north, Cen in the south'. In the late Qing officialdom, there were 'three butchers': Zhang Zhidong was known as 'butcher of wealth', loved 'burning money', and spent lavishly; Yuan Shikai was known as 'butcher of people', fond of killing, and slaughtered like hemp; Cen Chunxuan was the 'butcher of officials', despised violence, and was anti-corruption. The Champion Pavilion, originally called 'Houbofang', was owned by Hu Xuande, who was responsible for the supervision of banknote production. Chen Jichang stayed here before participating in the Guangxi provincial examination, and later successively won 'three top honors', hence the Champion Pavilion got its name. Renshou Alley was a settlement for Jiangxi merchants, with the Renshou Palace, Renshou Well, and Jianchang Guild Hall built during the Qianlong period, known as the Jiangxi Guild Hall. The Guangdong Guild Hall has a wok-ear-shaped mountain wall, with a three-bay three-door brick facade. The round arched doors on both sides are inscribed with the seal script 'Huai De' and 'He Xie'.