Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall

Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall

The Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a key cultural relics protection unit in China.

The Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall, a national 4A-level scenic spot, is located in the center of Sheqi County, Nanyang City, Henan Province. It was jointly funded by Shanxi and Shaanxi merchants in Shéqí Town during the Qing Dynasty as a gathering place for fellow provincials, hence the name Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall. Inside the “Chunqiu Tower” of the guild hall, there is a clay sculpture of Guan Yu seated, and it also housed officials, monks, and Taoists. The guild hall is also called the “Shanxi-Shaanxi Temple.” During the Daoguang era, it was renamed the “Dingyuan Society,” and in 1923, it reverted to being called the “Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall.”

The guild hall faces south and covers an area of about 7,750 square meters. Its ground is entirely paved with one-foot-square blue-and-white flagstones. Currently, there are more than 130 halls, chambers, towers, pavilions, and various structures. The main buildings consist of four parts — a glazed screen wall, the Xuànjiàn Tower, the Grand Worship Hall, and the Chunqiu Tower — arranged along a central axis from south to north. In the front are a glazed screen wall, iron flagpoles, east and west gateways, and east and west stables. Behind them are the Xuànjiàn Tower, bell and drum towers, and east and west corridor rooms. Further back are the Grand Worship Hall, the Medicine King Hall, and the Horse King Hall. Finally, at the very back is the Chunqiu Tower. The layout is rigorous and solemn. Except for the destroyed rear “Chunqiu Tower,” the rest are relatively well preserved. It is a relatively intact complex among ancient buildings in Henan Province and one of the larger and better-preserved ancient building complexes in Nanyang City. The front part of the guild hall features a huge and magnificent “two dragons playing with a spider” relief screen wall, standing 20 meters high and 13 meters wide. Modeled after Beijing’s “Nine-Dragon Screen,” it is built with colored-glazed ceramic tiles, featuring intricately carved dragons, exquisite patterns, artistic composition, and a resplendent golden shimmer. The Xuànjiàn Tower, also called the “Eight-Trigram Tower,” serves as the guild hall’s theater. The tower is 30 meters tall, 17 meters wide, and 20 meters deep. Built in the first year of the Jiaqing reign (1796), it has a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof and stands three stories high, with upturned eaves and layered bracket sets. The upper and lower levels of the tower are adorned with wood and stone carvings. The ridges are decorated with carved figures and animals, showcasing fine craftsmanship and a whimsical splendor. Flanking the tower are the bell and drum towers. Both are supported by sixteen wooden columns; the eastern tower houses a large bell, while the western tower holds a large drum. On either side of the bell and drum towers are the east and west gateways and stables. The Grand Worship Hall is the centerpiece of the guild hall. Standing 34 meters tall, 23 meters wide, and 45 meters deep, it was built in the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign (1869) atop a raised platform, featuring a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof. The rear hall originally had a “warm chamber” housing a memorial tablet of Guan Yu. The front hall functioned as a banquet hall, exquisitely carved and richly decorated. Beneath the eaves of the hall are wood carvings of scenes from *Journey to the West* and *The Investiture of the Gods*, all finely crafted and vividly portrayed. On both sides of the front hall are large stone carvings over five feet high, combining shallow and openwork carving techniques. The right wall depicts “Fishermen, Woodcutters, Farmers, and Scholars,” featuring landscapes, pavilions, figures, and birds and beasts, all exquisitely carved with tight composition. The left wall shows “Eighteen Scholars Paying Homage to Yingzhou,” with ingenious craftsmanship, rich content, and lively imagery. The raised platform beneath the hall is approximately four meters high, built with brick and stone and surrounded by stone railings. At its center stands a stone-carved memorial archway, intricately carved with motifs such as “Golden Dragons Coiled Around Jade Pillars,” “Civil and Martial Lions,” and “Eight Scenes of Love.” Below the archway is the “Nine-Dragon Mouth,” paved diagonally with cloud-dragon stone carvings. Beside the archway are gate towers with thirteen steps each. On both sides of the main hall are auxiliary halls: the eastern one is the Medicine King Hall, and the western one is the Horse King Hall. In front of these halls are thirteen east and west corridor rooms each, further enhancing the grandeur, solemnity, and magnificence of the Grand Worship Hall. The architectural structure and carving artistry of the guild hall embody the essence and unique style of ancient Chinese architecture. It is hailed as a pearl of traditional Chinese architecture and one of the more complete ancient building complexes in Henan Province. As a renowned tourist attraction, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1988.

The Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall was constructed during the final peak period of excellence in ancient Chinese architectural art. Coupled with the competitive mindset of Shanxi and Shaanxi merchants residing in Shéqí Town — who sought to “outshine all under heaven” through wealth display — they invested heavily in the guild hall's construction with their substantial financial resources. This enabled the project to “source massive materials from northern Hubei and seek master craftsmen from across the land.” The quality of materials used and the number of artisans employed were unmatched in construction projects of that time and place. Skilled craftsmen from various regions gathered here to showcase their “unique skills,” pushing the decorative artistry of the Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall to its zenith at the time. At the same time, Shéqí Town was situated at a critical crossroads where northern and southern cultures interacted and influenced each other. The architectural craftsmanship of the guild hall incorporated the strengths of both northern and southern building traditions, merging the majestic grandeur of northern ancient architecture with the refined elegance of southern styles, thus becoming a uniquely exemplary masterpiece of ancient architecture. In summary, the architectural decoration art of the Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall has ten distinctive features that stand out among existing guild hall constructions nationwide and even among non-imperial folk ancient buildings. These can be referred to as the “Ten Supreme Aspects.”

Admission Ticket

Ticket: 26 RMB

Location

No. 9, Yongqing Street, Shèqidian Town, Sheqi County

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in Henan Province

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units