Old alley in Anhui carries forward fine Chinese culture
In East China's Anhui province, a 2-meter-wide alley separates a pair of gray walls. At first glance it may seem insignificant, but to those who know its history, Liuchi Alley in Tongcheng symbolizes much more than its initial appearance would suggest.
During holidays, the lane fills with thousands of visitors each day — drawn there by the story of its creation and the lessons that can be learned from it.
The name derives from the Mandarin word for six and chi — a traditional Chinese unit of length that corresponds to one-third of a meter.
It was so named because of its width. In the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it served as the boundary between the households of two eminent families.
To the south was the Zhang family and to the north the Wu family. Both had male members in high positions within the court of Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) or in other regions around the country. But the two families quarreled.
The source of their dispute was the boundary between their two properties and which family had the right to build a wall on the dividing line.
After trying, and failing, to appeal to a regional official for mediation, the Zhangs wrote to Zhang Ying, their most prominent family member and a trusted top official in the emperor's court. His response, which is still celebrated in the form of a poem, did not provide the support for which his family had hoped.
Instead, he called for his kinfolk to step back 1 meter from the boundary — a suggestion that so moved the disputing parties, the story goes, that both did exactly that. Thus the alley was born.
The alley has often been cited in connection with thoughts on tolerance, morality, social order and the qualities that define a good official.
Although the walls defining the alley are replicas, people are still drawn to the area because of its back story.
To ordinary folk, the story is about how to get along with other people, while authorities think it can also serve as a guideline for officials.
The local government has made great efforts to restore the area to its original glory. It was reopened to visitors last year.
在中国东部的安徽省，一条2米宽的小巷将一对灰色的墙壁隔开。乍一看，它似乎微不足道，但对于那些了解它历史的人来说，桐城的六尺巷象征的远不止它最初的外观所暗示的那样。
在假期里，这条小巷每天都挤满了成千上万的游客，他们被它的创造故事和可以从中吸取的教训所吸引。
这个名字来源于普通话中的“六”和“尺”，这是中国传统的长度单位，相当于三分之一米。
它因其宽度而得名。在清初（1644-1911），它是两个显赫家族家庭的分界线。
南边是张家，北边是吴家。这两位都有男性成员在康熙皇帝（1654-1722）的宫廷或全国其他地区担任要职。但这两个家庭吵架了。
他们争论的根源是他们两处房产之间的边界，以及哪个家庭有权在分界线上修建隔离墙。
在尝试向地方官员上诉调解但失败后，张家写信给他们最显赫的家庭成员、朝廷中值得信赖的最高官员张英。他的回复是以诗歌的形式，但并没有提供家人所希望的支持。
相反，他呼吁他的亲属从边界后退1米——据说，这一建议让争议双方都深受感动，双方都做到了这一点。于是，小巷诞生了。
这条小巷经常被引用，与宽容、道德、社会秩序以及定义一个好官员的品质有关。
尽管界定小巷的墙壁是复制品，但人们仍然因为它的背景故事而被吸引到这个地区。
对于普通民众来说，这个故事是关于如何与他人相处的，而当局认为它也可以作为官员的指导方针。
当地政府为恢复该地区的昔日辉煌做出了巨大努力。去年，它重新向游客开放。
【语法填空改编】
In East China's Anhui province, a 2-meter-wide alley separates a pair of gray walls. At first glance it may seem insignificant, 1._______ to those who know its history, Liuchi Alley in Tongcheng symbolizes much more than its initial appearance would suggest.During holidays, the lane fills with thousands of visitors each day — 2.________(draw) there by the story of its creation and the lessons that can be learned from it.
The name derives from the Mandarin word for six and chi — a traditional Chinese unit of length that corresponds to one-third of a meter.It was so named because of 3.________(it) width. In the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it served as the boundary between the households of two eminent families.To the south was the Zhang family and to the north the Wu family. Both 4._______(have) male members in high positions within the court of Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) or in other regions around the country. But the two 5._______(family) quarreled.The source of their dispute was the boundary between their two properties and which family had the right to build a wall on the dividing line.After trying, and failing, to appeal 6._______ a regional official for mediation, the Zhangs wrote to Zhang Ying, their most prominent family member and a trusted top official in the emperor's court. His response, which is still celebrated in the form of 7.__________ poem, did not provide the support for which his family had hoped.Instead, he called for his kinfolk to step back 1 meter from the boundary — a suggestion that so moved the disputing parties, the story goes, that both did 8.________(exact) that. Thus the alley was born.
The alley has often been cited in 9._______(connect) with thoughts on tolerance, morality, social order and the qualities that define a good official. Although the walls defining the alley are replicas, people are still drawn to the area because of its back story.To ordinary folk, the story is about ______ to get along with other people, while authorities think it can also serve as a guideline for officials.The local government has made great efforts to restore the area to its original glory. It was reopened to visitors last year.
【参考答案】1.but 2.drawn 3.its 4.had 5.families 6.to 7.a 8.exactly 9.connection 10.how
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