Two senior residents chat in the courtyard of an old house along the lane. ZHU LIXIN/CHINA DAILY

Three days later, the commission released an article on its website that was widely read, referencing the lane amid some thoughts on tolerance, morality, social order and the qualities that define a good official.

Greater publicity was to follow when the legend of Liuchi Lane was highlighted in this year's Spring Festival Gala Show, broadcast by CCTV to an estimated audience of 1.03 billion.

Popular actress and singer Zhao Wei sang a song about the lane, in one of the show's most-watched segments.

"It was the gala show that really increased the lane's popularity", said Zhang Yun, Party chief of the local Shengli community.

He said it was impossible to count the number of visitors who had flocked to the lane over the Spring Festival holiday, but estimated that "at least 5,000 people" had visited each day.

Although the walls that define the lane are replicas, with the originals having been torn down alongside much of the surrounding houses during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), people are still drawn to the area because of the story behind it, according to Wu Jianqiang, deputy director of the city government's publicity department.

"To ordinary folk, the story is about how to get along with other people, while the authorities think it can also serve as a guideline for officials," Wu said.

Work is under way to restore the area to its original glory, according to Duan Pengfei, chairman of the State-run Tongcheng Culture & Tourism Investment and Development.

"The local government made a plan to restore the original houses in 2011. The detailed plan and design will be finished by the end of 2016," he said.