Yongzhou Guild Hall

Yongzhou Guild Hall

The Yongzhou Guild Hall is situated at No. 1 Shizi Building, Wushui Road, Hongjiang District. It faces east and occupies an area of 350 square meters. Established by merchants from eight counties in eastern Yongzhou, it is also called the “Lianxi Palace.” This two-story wooden building has a through-tenon structure with three bays, featuring a central patio and enclosed by brick walls. Inscriptions such as “Yongzhou Eastern Counties” and “Wanfeng Old Store” are carved on the beams of the second floor of the front section, and two ancient regulation steles are embedded in the brick walls inside and outside the main gate. A boundary stone tablet is mounted on the left rear wall. The entire architectural complex is compactly structured and rationally arranged, with multifunctional utility. The building has three bays in width, ensuring excellent natural light and ventilation. The inscriptions “Wanfeng Old Store” on the beams and the two steles inside and outside the gate truthfully record the construction details of the building and the guild’s regulatory system, providing significant physical evidence for the study of commercial guild rules and regulations during the Qing Dynasty.

According to research, the Yongzhou Guild Hall was first built in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1887), funded by merchants from eight counties in eastern Yongzhou. A boundary stone tablet inscribed with “Yongzhou Lianxi Palace” was embedded in the left wall of the building. Initially used as an inn, it later became a guild hall and a gathering place for overseas merchants during festivals. In the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign (1906), merchants from the eight counties of Yongzhou renovated the building, adding one room to the right side of the main gate and inscribing “Renovated in the 32nd Year of Guangxu (1906)” on the beams of the second courtyard. In the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924), to strengthen property management, the guild leaders organized discussions among merchants from the eight counties and formulated three “Yongding Regulations,” strictly prohibiting the arbitrary renting or selling of the building. Two steles titled “Yongding Regulations” and “Everlasting Glory” were erected and embedded in the brick walls inside and outside the main gate. In 1958, the building was taken over by the government as public housing and managed by the housing authority, with rooms rented to local residents.

“Guild halls” were a unique social phenomenon that emerged under specific historical conditions during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Although Hongjiang was just a small town under the jurisdiction of Huitong County at the time, merchants from 10 provinces, 20 prefectures, and over 80 counties across China successively established guild halls there—a phenomenon rarely seen elsewhere in the country. The Yongzhou Guild Hall stands as a physical testament to this phenomenon. It served as a comprehensive venue integrating an inn, guild hall, business operations, and entertainment. The architectural layout is rational, the functionality comprehensive, the style distinctive, and the craftsmanship refined. The preserved beam inscriptions and stelae offer invaluable physical materials for studying the development, historical background, management systems, and regional architectural culture of Ming and Qing commercial guilds, thus holding significant historical research value.

Since its establishment, merchants have always prioritized the protection and management of the Yongzhou Guild Hall. After it was taken over by the government, the housing authority took over its unified protection, management, and maintenance. In 2002, the Hongjiang District Administrative Committee formulated a conservation plan for the ancient Hongjiang commercial city and included the Yongzhou Guild Hall within the protected area. In September 2003, the Yongzhou Guild Hall was designated as an important cultural relic protection site in Hongjiang District, with oversight and protection entrusted to the District Cultural Relics Management Office. The protected area extends 14 meters east, 30 meters south, 13 meters west, and 25 meters north from the base of the guild hall walls. The construction control zone extends 50 meters outward from the boundaries of the protected area in all four directions.