Chen says that Zhuangyuan Fang has a horizontal beam weighing 12 metric tons, which is placed on top of two pillars to symbolize that these people were vital to the country, and says the beam was lifted into place by a machine invented during the Ming period, which was similar to a crane.
As a result, the arches on the street symbolize good students, and have helped motivate people to study diligently since ancient times. "An elderly man once told me when he was young, his grandmother brought him to the street and told him to study hard so that one day he could have his own paifang here. With these role models, how could students not study hard?" says Chen.
