Dazhalan is one of the famous commercial streets in Beijing. There are many famous century-old shops on the street such as Tongrentang.

The commercial area outside Qianmen was formed in the Qing Dynasty when it was stipulated that people from other places must not stay in the city (within the present Qiansanmen Street) and the city gate of Beijing must be closed in the evening for the safety of the Forbidden City. People from other places had to live outside Qianmen. Thus, Qianmen Commercial Area was formed.

There is an old saying in Beijing: Heading Majuyuan (hat shop)

Wearing Badaxiang (silk shop)

Stepping Neiliansheng (shoes shop)

Placing Sidaheng around the waist (native bank)

Thanks to its convenient location, Qianmenwai area has always been a place where there are many people from other places as well as large and small hotels and restaurants.

The common characteristic of these famous old shops is that they pay attention to their reputation. For example, the founder of Tongrentang said, although the processing of drugs is complicated, we dare not use less labor; although improving the quality is expensive, we dare not use less materials.