Qianye Guild Hall

Qianye Guild Hall

The Qianye Guild Hall is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ningbo Qianye Guild Hall is located at No. 10 Zhan Chuan Street, not far from Dongmenkou in the city center. In the third year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1864), the local financial industry formed an organization known as the Qianye Consultation Office, which had an office in the Binjiang Temple area near Jiangxia. It was once destroyed in war but was later rebuilt in 1862 through funding from the banking industry. By the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923), the original guild hall was considered “too cramped and unsuitable for business,” so a plot of land and building previously belonging to the “Pingjin Club” at Jian Chuan Gen (now Zhan Chuan Street) was purchased to construct a new guild hall—the current Qianye Guild Hall—which was completed in 1926. It served as a meeting and trading place for Ningbo’s financial sector in the past. Construction began in the 14th year of the Republic of China. This building, covering over 1,500 square meters, features a traditional Chinese and Western brick-and-wood structure composed of two courtyards, pavilions, towers, and gardens, with a unique architectural style: the front section is surrounded by corridors; stone carvings and inscriptions line both sides; there is a stage in the middle; and the rear section includes a council hall, which was the highest decision-making site for Ningbo’s financial industry in former times. The front courtyard features flowers and plants in a tranquil and elegant setting. It is the only well-preserved historical and cultural building related to the banking industry in China. After the liberation, it was listed as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit. In September 1994, on the original site of the Qianye Guild Hall, the “Ningbo Numismatic Museum” was established, becoming the only professional numismatic museum with a relatively comprehensive collection in a medium-sized Chinese city. With an exhibition area of 160 square meters, the museum displays 1,999 historical coins ranging from cowrie shells, spade coins, knife coins, ring coins to Qing dynasty silver dollars, including rare items such as tin anti-Japanese coins and gold “Longxing Tongbao.” The exhibits are divided into five major sections: the origin of currency, Zhu-Liang coins, Tongbao coins, currencies used in the port city from neighboring countries, and anti-Japanese currency of Eastern Zhejiang. They are generally arranged in chronological order, combining a general historical overview with a focus on the characteristics of the Ningbo port city. Spanning from 4,000 years ago in the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Republican era and the War of Resistance, the museum plays a significant role in promoting Ningbo’s history and the culture of Chinese currency.

In June 2006, it was announced by the State Council as part of the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Address: No. 10 Zhan Chuan Street, Haishu District, Ningbo City (near Ningbo Film City)

Type: Historical Building

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 0574-7344653

Opening Hours:

8:30–11:30; 13:30–16:30

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 10.0 RMB

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units