Old District

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Old District (老片区)
Location	Guandong Province 8
Occupation/Role	A historically isolated, gang-dominated district transitioning toward heritage preservation, tourism, and legitimate commerce 18 39
Affiliation	Old District Zhang Family; the Old District’s veteran gang factions 16 21
Status	Active; undergoing redevelopment and increased outside engagement 29 39 107
First Appearance	Chapter 1, through the Old District Zhang Family 1

History

The Old District was founded after the fall of the Qing Dynasty and developed for more than a century around ancestral law, gang codes, and tightly interconnected local families. Its residents regard loyalty, honor, and obedience to inherited rules as central parts of local identity. 22

During the war of invasion, local forces resisted Japanese occupation. This legacy remains a defining source of civic pride: trading with Japanese interests is treated as an iron violation of underworld rules, and the district is described as having no Japanese companies even in the modern era. 18 21 107

After the founding of the nation, the central government tolerated the Old District’s de facto autonomy for decades because war and instability had left its local armed forces too entrenched to remove easily. The result was a “state within a state,” where outside forces struggled to establish influence despite the district’s many internal gang factions. 20

Built Environment

The Old District contrasts sharply with the modern city center. Its core retains an older architectural character, with buildings and streets shaped by Qing-, Republican-, and Northern Expedition-era construction. 4 6

• Worn courtyard homes with gray brick walls and black-tiled roofs. 4
• Republican-era Western-style buildings, villas, and mansions. 4 6
• A municipal government building dating to the Northern Expedition Government. 6
• Residential compounds built more than twenty years earlier by the Zhang Family and affiliated gangs for gang members’ families. 4
• Antique tea houses, taverns, snack stalls, weathered signboards, and old-style streets that later become part of its tourism appeal. 73

Zhang Family Secret Passage Network

The Old District’s strategic center is the Old District Zhang Family Compound. Around it, the Zhang ancestors constructed a genuine secret passage and four decoy passageways across an area extending roughly ten kilometers in every direction. 29

• The four false passages do not lead to the Zhang Family Ancestral Residence. 29
• Their traps are real, including mechanisms, poisonous insects, and toxic smoke. 29
• The decoys were designed to mislead hostile outsiders seeking to destroy the Zhang Family. 29
• Renovation work provides cover for upgrading the secret-passage system and controlling access to the district. 5 28 29

Society and Traditions

The Old District is socially conservative, highly insular, and organized around old family powers. Residents place clan authority and inherited rules on a level that can rival formal law, while outsiders are viewed with suspicion. 8 36

• Elderly residents preserve local history through oral storytelling, while younger people are expected to memorize family genealogies. 30
• Face-to-face communication remains more culturally important than modern media despite the availability of television and the internet. 30
• Veteran gangs gather at Righteousness Hall on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month to conduct business, maintain ties, and reinforce loyalty among younger members. 21
• Gang members are forbidden from doing business with Japanese interests; the rule is tied to the district’s wartime losses and anti-invasion legacy. 18 21
• Traditional Chinese learning is deeply embedded in local life; even young children are said to learn texts such as the Three Character Classic. 107

Political Structure

The Old District Zhang Family is the district’s leading local power, while numerous veteran gangs operate beneath an intricate balance of territory, seniority, ancestral rules, and mutual interests. 16 21

The district’s closed structure historically made outside intervention difficult. Yanjing’s interest in the area grows once redevelopment offers a possible route for communicating and cooperating with its local powers. 20 22

Major Factions

• Old District Zhang Family — The dominant family and leading underworld force; directs redevelopment, security, and negotiations with outside authorities. 16 22
• Old District gang factions — Veteran local gangs bound by shared rules but concerned that the Zhang Family’s move into legitimate business could alter the balance of power. 14 16
• Gu Zhaohuan and the city government — Partners in the redevelopment plan after initial conflict over demolition and cultural preservation. 6 8
• Yanjing / National Intelligence Bureau — Seeks greater access to the district and views redevelopment as an opening to influence local affairs. 19 20
• Li Family and Kyoto Zhang Family — Outside families attempting to exploit redevelopment and infiltrate the district in search of the Zhang Family Secret Passage. 23 28 30

Redevelopment and Opening

Early city proposals called for demolition and rebuilding, which Zhang Linmo opposed because the district’s historic buildings possessed cultural and architectural value. He instead advocated restoration that would preserve local heritage while allowing development. 6 8

Following negotiations with Mayor Gu Zhaohuan, the Zhang Family and city leadership reached a preliminary agreement: the Old District’s cultural sites would be restored, investment would be encouraged, and Zhang Linmo would help lead implementation. 8 22

Development	Details
Heritage restoration plan	Funding and favorable policies are secured to restore cultural historic sites and attract investment. 22
Infrastructure work	Construction crews repair homes and upgrade electrical lines, water pipes, and sewers throughout the district. 29
Legitimate business expansion	Gang factions discuss real estate, tourism, and other legal industries as traditional underworld revenues decline. 18
Public-image campaign	Zhang Linmo and Gu Zhaohuan back a television drama about the district’s resistance history to counter its reputation as an isolated “bandit den.” 39
Tourism growth	Restored old streets later receive tour groups, domestic visitors, and foreign tourists. 73

Cultural Representation

The television drama Gunfire is developed as the Old District’s first major publicity effort aimed at outsiders. Its script draws on local family genealogies, legends, library archives, and historical materials concerning the war of invasion. 39

The production presents the district’s resistance history through rough, imperfect local heroes rather than idealized figures. Its popularity brings national attention to the Old District’s architecture, history, and cultural relics, while also provoking criticism that the project glorifies underworld forces. 61

Trivia

• The Old District’s residents are portrayed as deeply familiar with family history and eager to discuss ancestral accomplishments with visitors. 30
• Its old-fashioned atmosphere is repeatedly compared to the Republican Era, despite the presence of modern technology and media. 107
• The district’s reputation for being “airtight” is supported by extensive local surveillance, informant networks, and the Zhang Family’s control over access points. 93