Sanfang Qixiang

Sanfang Qixiang (Chinese: 三坊七巷; pinyin: sān fāng qī xiàng; Foochow Romanized: Săng-huŏng-chék-háe̤ng), literally Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, is a historic and cultural area in the city of Fuzhou.

Covering a total area of 0.38 square kilometers (0.15 sq mi), it is celebrated as an architectural museum of Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, including numerous National Designated Monuments such as the historic residences of notable figures.

Because of the high number of rich, famous and powerful residents, counting 400 in total over the past few centuries, this area has been dubbed the 'Beverly Hills' of imperial China.

[2] Some of its notable former residents include: The area is considered a classic example of the "residential ward" or lǐfāng system (Chinese: 里坊制; pinyin: lǐfāng-zhì), a traditional form of urban planning dating back as early as the Tang dynasty.

[3] Thanks to its status as a "living fossil" of such a system, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2013,[4] and later designated a National Historic and Cultural Street by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and State Administration of Cultural Heritage in 2015.