Jingde Guild Hall

Jingde Guild Hall

Jingde Guild Hall is a Yangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jingde Guild Hall

It is now a municipal-level cultural heritage site. Located at No. 1-7 Mituo Lane, it was founded during the Qing Dynasty by salt merchants from Jingde, Anhui. There used to be many old houses in Yangzhou’s urban area that were once part of Jingde Guild Hall's estate. Historical records indicate that these properties included No. 90, 92, 94, and 75 Caiyi Street; No. 1, 3, 5, and 7 Mituo Lane; No. 360 Guoqing Road; the former No. 123 and 339 Shikefa Road; and the former No. 152 Gengzi Street (now No. 146 Gengzi Street), all of which were originally properties of Jingde Guild Hall.

Jingde Guild Hall is also one of the earliest guild halls established in Yangzhou. According to an old property deed from November 1711 (the 50th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty), it states: “This deed transfers ownership of a residential property, hereditarily inherited by Xu Liaopi, located south-facing on the west side of Mituo Temple Lane, along the third block of the main street outside the East Gate, Dadao… to be sold in perpetuity under the name of Mei Desheng. The transaction value, appraised by the involved parties on the day of sale, was eight hundred and twenty taels of silver…” Here, the “third block of the main street outside the East Gate, Dadao” refers to today’s Caiyi Street, and “Mituo Temple Lane” refers to today’s Mituo Lane. After the purchase, the property became part of Jingde Guild Hall’s estate, and the original deed was later stamped with the note: “This property is publicly owned by Jingde Guild Hall; no individual shall mortgage or sell it.” This Kangxi-era property deed is the oldest such deed discovered in Yangzhou to date and is also the earliest guild hall historically verified in the city.

Further Reading:

· List of the Fourth Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Yangzhou