1. It is said that during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, a couple came to Nanjing and lived in the then desolate Sanpailou area, making a living by selling tofu. Because their tofu is delicious, their business is not bad and their life is passable, but the couple are getting older and older but still have no children. One night, it was snowing heavily outside. At this time, the old man heard a baby crying outside the door and thought, how can there be a baby crying with such heavy snow outside?

So the old man put on his clothes and went out to see that there were two newborn baby boys at the door. The old man hurriedly brought two baby boys in. When his wife saw him, she said, "This must be a poor man who knows that we have no children and sent it to us." And he said, "anyway, we make tofu, and then we will feed the children soy milk!" "

strangely enough, a few months later, my wife was pregnant and gave birth to a boy. As a result, there are three more mouths to eat at home at once, and the old couple can't support their three children, so they have to feed them with soybean milk. The three children grew up together, like brothers and sisters, and looked very similar. At the age of studying, the old couple scrimped and saved, treated all three children equally, and the three brothers were very sensible and learned quickly.

Later, the three brothers joined the Jinshi in the scientific research, which was said to be a beautiful talk. After the three brothers became officials, they were honest and upright and made outstanding achievements. When the emperor knew it, he thought that the old couple helped the poor and helped the weak, and taught their children well, so he ordered each of the three brothers to build a memorial arch for their parents in recognition. The three archways are lined up, which is very spectacular. Over time, the common people called it Sanpailou.

2. Four archways

During the Ming Dynasty, imperial academy was set up in Chengxian Street under Jilong Mountain, covering Southeast University and surrounding areas on both sides of Chengxian Street today. At its peak, there were four archways, hence the name "Four archways".

Extended information:

Historical evolution of Sanpailou:

1. On June 5, the second year of Xuantong in Qing Dynasty (1911), the Governor of Liangjiang held a grand and sensational business fair-Nanyang Persuading Fair in Nanjing.

2. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Yuan Shikai became the interim president and the League became the opposition party. On March 3, the same year, the League held a general meeting of the headquarters on the first stage of Nanjing Sanpailou, elected Sun Yat-sen as prime minister, and Huang Xing and Li Yuanhong as associate directors, and announced the reorganization as an open political party.

3. After 2111, in order to create a cultural atmosphere in combination with historical traditions, a green square of nearly 1,111 square meters was built at the intersection of Sanpailou Street and Fujian Road in Gulou District, Nanjing, and a sculpture recording the legend of the "Sanpailou" was built.

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