Quzhou Huizhou Guild Hall

Quzhou Huizhou Guild Hall

The Quzhou Huizhou Guild Hall is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang Province.

The Huizhou Guild Hall is located in Kecheng District, Quzhou City, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

The Huizhou Guild Hall was jointly funded and constructed by Anhui merchants residing in Quzhou. The guild hall has been well-preserved, featuring a large structure, robust materials, and exquisitely carved brackets and spandrels, making it of high historical, artistic, cultural, and scientific value. In 1993, it was listed as a key cultural heritage protection unit of Quzhou City and now serves as the office location of the Quzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

As a merchant group, the Huizhou merchants rose to prominence over nearly 500 years, becoming a leading and iconic force among Chinese merchants. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Huizhou Guild Halls were established in most major cities across China, serving as gathering places where Huizhou merchants could meet and discuss important matters. The Republican-era “Qu County Annals” noted that Quzhou was historically a hub for Huizhou merchants’ trade activities.

The Quzhou Huizhou Guild Hall is located at No. 78 Xianxue Street, Fushan Subdistrict. The guild hall faces south and originally covered an area of approximately 629 square meters, featuring a three-courtyard, two-atrium layout with flush gable roofs. The original intention of the Anhui merchants in Quzhou to build the guild hall was not only to serve local Huizhou merchants and traveling merchants passing through Quzhou but also to provide accommodation and financial support to fellow Huizhou people who were away from home—such as scholars going to take imperial examinations. One might say the guild hall served as an emotional hub for Huizhou merchants abroad, offering them a sense of home.

However, as time passed, the once bustling Huizhou Guild Hall gradually fell into decline with the changing times, and its former vibrancy seemed to vanish forever. It wasn’t until the relocation of the Quzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles that the guild hall regained its vitality.

The main gate of the Huizhou Guild Hall bears weathered wall markings. Beside its heavy vermilion-painted doors hangs a simple white sign with black characters that read “Quzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles.” The simplicity is striking. Just across the street are lively cinemas and restaurants. The hustle and bustle of passersby only serves to highlight the guild hall’s quiet dignity and sense of history, giving the Federation of Literary and Art Circles a certain “hidden sage in the city” charm.

Stepping through the gate, visitors are greeted by blue bricks, dark tiles, red windows, and greenery, instantly calming the mind and shutting out the noise of the outside world. Looking up, one can see layers of domed roofs. Beneath these domes was once a stage, and as you walk through the corridor, the faint echoes of traditional Huizhou opera seem to linger in the air.

The main hall is a double-eave hip-and-gable roof structure, with decorative ridge beasts shaped like fish tails, likely symbolizing “fire prevention.” Along the roof ridge, the front side displays the evenly spaced characters “National Prosperity and People’s Peace,” while the back features “Favorable Weather and Bountiful Harvest.” Without close inspection, this expression of the Huizhou merchants’ hopes might remain hidden among the dark tiles.

The main hall is adorned with a plaque inscribed with the words “Wencui Hall” (Literary Gathering Hall), written in the vigorous, flowing calligraphy of Mr. Wang Ke, former chairman of the city’s Calligraphers Association. Once a place where Huizhou merchants discussed important affairs, it is now a venue where Quzhou artists gather to exchange ideas. Photography, calligraphy, painting—numerous exhibitions are held in this atmospheric hall filled with classical charm. Wencui Hall truly lives up to its name, gathering literati.

Passing through a small door beside the hall, one enters a corridor in the courtyard, which feels serene due to the stone pillars and windows lining the walls. Recent rains have allowed fine moss to creep into the crevices of the stones and spread onto the bluish-gray floor tiles. Amid the soft rustling of bamboo leaves, the space quietly narrates the trials and tribulations faced by Huizhou merchants throughout history.

After wandering through the corridors, you will stumble upon a quaint little courtyard. This courtyard, renovated in 2008, was originally an auxiliary building of the main Huizhou Guild Hall structure. On the lintel, the rustic and unpolished characters “Jinyuan” (Brocade Garden) are imprinted from the original handwriting of the late artist Lai Shaoqi. The courtyard originally had three privet trees, one of which was struck by lightning last year and snapped in half. Yet, though broken above ground, its roots remained alive, and in recent years, lush new branches have sprouted from the break, full of vitality. Perhaps in a few years, the tale of the “Three Precious Trees” will shine anew.

Unlike the communal atmosphere of Wencui Hall, Jinyuan is more introspective, housing some of the most distinctive cultural products of Quzhou. Yellow wax stone, silver-white porcelain, Jiangshan Harmony painted pottery, and others have gradually found their place here. The tranquil and leisurely Jinyuan has become a window for Quzhou to engage in artistic exchanges with the outside world, attracting art enthusiasts from all walks of life to draw inspiration. Restored in a way that preserves its original character, the overall structure of the Huizhou Guild Hall remains unchanged. The Quzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles has infused the ancient city’s culture into it in new ways, nurturing a uniquely inspiring space.

On January 13, 2017, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province announced it as part of the seventh batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units