Located in Tongcheng, Anhui Province, "Six Feet Lane". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Fangqiang
Hefei, 12 Dec (Xinhua) -- A gravel road with green bricks and tiles is lined with camphor trees outside the wall. Walking past the emblem-style White Jade Arch with the word "courtesy" engraved on it, you will enter the "Six Feet Alley" about two meters wide. The alley is not wide, and the two meet and walk sideways to pass.
Today, the "Six Feet Lane" in Tongcheng, Anhui Province, has become a famous local attraction, attracting about 500,000 tourists every year. Here, the story of "Six Foot Alley", which has been circulating for hundreds of years, passes on the ideas of "harmony is precious" and "harmony but difference" from generation to generation.
During the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Ying, a scholar of Wenhuadian University and a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, received an urgent letter from his hometown in Tongcheng, Anhui. The old family and the neighbors had a dispute over the homestead, because the two homesteads were ancestral inheritances, and the time was long, and no one would give in to the homestead. The old family hoped that Zhang Ying would intervene.
Zhang Ying read the letter and criticized a poem: "A paper book comes only for the wall, so why not let him be three feet." The Great Wall is still there today, and Qin Shi Huang was not seen in that year. ”
After seeing the letter, the Zhang family suddenly opened up and gave in three feet. The neighbors were deeply moved and gave up three feet, so a six-foot-wide alley was formed between the two families.
The ancient city area of Tongcheng, which has preserved its traditional style intact, is a small area in many places, and many residents' houses are next to each other and share a wall. Small conflicts in life such as noise problems and who will bear the cost of wall repairs occur from time to time.
Zhang Yun, general secretary of the party branch of the Liuzhi Lane community in Wenchang Street, has been engaged in community work for 20 years, and when dealing with conflicts between residents, he often quotes the story of "Liuzhi Lane" for mediation.
A few years ago, Mr. Sun, a citizen, legally purchased a plot of abandoned factory buildings, but due to the long history, the courtyard wall has collapsed, and the neighbors next to it have built the house inside the foundation of the courtyard wall.
In the first half of 2021, Mr. Sun wanted to renovate the plant that had fallen into disrepair to eliminate safety hazards. However, neighbors believe that the factory building is too close to their own wall, and there are also safety hazards in their own walls when they are renovated. In addition, neighbors are also worried that the noise of the air conditioner in the factory is too large, affecting their rest and life, and proposed to give up two to three meters. The two sides have not reached an agreement for a long time.
After Zhang Yun learned about the situation, he immediately went to the door to inspect the situation and mediated the two sides many times.
"As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. I often quote the story of 'Six Feet Alley' so that both sides of the conflict can take a step back and finally reach an agreement. Zhang Yun said, "If you go to court to sue for this small matter, it will not only consume a lot of time and energy, but also affect the operation of the enterprise, so I calculated an account with Mr. Sun and persuaded him to give in." ”
In the end, Mr. Sun agreed to use the original corner as the boundary, give up an air-conditioned distance to build the courtyard wall of the factory, and the neighbors also gave up a distance of about one meter.
The Six Foot Lane community has a permanent population of about 7,000 people. Every month, Zhang Yun has to deal with at least two similar conflicts, including neighborhood, marriage and family, demolition and resettlement and other issues. Resolving contradictions at the grassroots level and dissolving in the bud, the "Six Feet Lane Mediation Law" continues to "warm up" the peace and harmony of the Six Feet Lane community.
"One side can give way first, and many problems can be solved in the bud." Sometimes it is difficult to make concessions, especially for the rational party, but if the rational party can take a small step back and compare the heart to the heart, it will often gain greater understanding and reward from the other party. Zhang Yun said.
According to statistics, since the beginning of this year, Tongcheng has mediated a total of 2417 cases of various contradictions and disputes, and the success rate of mediation is 97.9%.
The story of "Six Feet Alley" is almost a household name in the local area, and the "courtesy culture" contained in it is also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in China, and peace, harmony and harmony are the concepts that the Chinese nation has been pursuing and inheriting.
Nowadays, many residents have to pass through the "Six Foot Alley" every day. Walking on this cobbled laneway, although it is only about 100 meters long, it is very far-reaching for modern people.
"We are also repairing the houses on both sides of the alley, which is not only protecting cultural relics, but also protecting the traditional Chinese culture behind cultural relics." Ye Xin, director of the Tongcheng Museum, said. (Reporters Dai Qun, Liu Fangqiang, Liu Meizi, Shui Jinchen, Qu Yan)