Jiaochangkou Hutong (校场口胡同)

Jiaochangkou is located northwest of Xuanwumen, starting at Xuanwumenwai Street in the east and ending at Laoqianggen Street in the west. It got its name because of the military training in ancient China, especially in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

During the Qing Dynasty, troops of the Bordered Blue Banners stationed in Xuanwumennei and set up their camps west of Huaibaishu Street. At that time all the banners usually set up Jiaochang (a place for military training) and martial arts halls to train their soldiers. This Jiaochangkou was the entrance to the Jiaochang of that time. Later, it was turned into a street and it got today’s name in 1965.

Today’s Jiaochangkou got its name because of this entrance to the Jiaochangkou. Located near this Jiaochang were Jiaochang Toutiao, Jiaochang Ertiao, Jiaochang Santiao, Jiaochang Sitiao and Jiaochang Wutiao, where were sites all for military training. In the Ming Dynasty this site was once named General Jiaochangkou or General Jiaochangkou Toutiao.

The History Script of the Qing Dynasty says: “The Eight Banners begin training their troops in July and end in the next year’s April. The Jiaochang is located outside the Nine Gates of the Inner City, and different classes of generals and military officers arrange and inspect the military training including horse riding and gun and cannon shootings and then evaluate their levels and award or punish them in terms of their levels of achievements.”This proves that the Jiaochang outside Xuanwumen was still among the nine Jiaochang in the capital city that time.

During the reign of Emperor Guangxu’s reign, playgrounds and Jiaochang were not the only complexes here, but there was a high and large platform for special ceremonies.