If you choose the ancient street that best represents the old Changsha, it is definitely Taiping Street. Since the establishment of the city in Changsha during the Warring States Period, Taiping Street has always been the center of the ancient city. The whole block is bounded by Santai Street and Sanxing Street in the east, Weiguo Street in the west, Wuyi Avenue in the north, and Jiefang Road in the south. The fishbone-shaped block has remained unchanged for 200 years, covering an area of about 12.57 hectares, and is the most complete block in the ancient city of Changsha that retains the original street and lane pattern.

For Changsha locals, the cultural and historical heritage of Taiping Street is long gone, replaced by a strong commercial atmosphere. Even so, the historical status of Taiping Street is undeniable, not to mention that there are also historical sites such as Jia Yi's former residence, the former site of the West Archway of the Mingji Domain, the former site of the Xinhai Revolutionary Communist Association, and the former site of the Sizheng Society, which still have a certain tourist value for foreign tourists.

Jia Yi's former residence

Jia Yi was a famous political commentator and writer in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, who was excluded by the minister Zhou Bo and Guan Ying, and was called the prince of Changsha, so he lived in Changsha for three years, and later generations also called him Jia Changsha. His representative works include "On the Passage of Qin" and "Hanging Qu Yuanfu", which are very well-known. In addition, Qu Yuan was also demoted to Changsha. The encounter of the two literati made Sima Qian deeply moved, so the "Biography of Qu Yuan Jia Sheng" was listed in the historical records. This is also the origin of Changsha's business card "Qu Jia's Township".

Historically, Jia Yi's former residence has been built dozens of times, the most recent of which was in 1998. Today's Jia Yi's former residence is a three-entry courtyard, and Jia Taifu's temple is used to enshrine Jia Yi's bronze statue and display his representative works; The Taifu Hall displays Jia Yi's life and thoughts; The Autumn Grass Hall is a resting place for tourists; The stele gallery displays the poems of the famous people of the past dynasties and the inscriptions of the former residences rebuilt in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The original in the former residence has two steles on the right after the entrance, but the handwriting is blurred and illegible. On the left is the Taifu Well, which was dug by Jia Yi back then.

Information Reference

Taiping Street

Admission: Free

Opening hours: All day

Jia Yi's former residence

Admission: Free

Opening hours: 8:30-16:30 (12:00-13:00 lunch break, closed on Mondays)