Dashilan street was a commercial center of Beijing more than five hundred and eighty years ago. The name Dashilan comes from the large gates built at either end of the street during the Qing Dynasty to prevent street crime at night and as a safeguard against riots by the local Han people against the Qing. The fences built here were quite peculiar and kept for a long time.In 1900, the entire street was burnt to the ground during the Boxer uprising before it prospered again with the returning merchants.