Cangwu Cantonese Guild Hall

Cangwu Cantonese Guild Hall

The Cangwu Cantonese Guild Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Cangwu Cantonese Guild Hall is located in Cangwu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 12 kilometers from downtown Wuzhou. It is the oldest existing Cantonese Guild Hall in Guangxi. According to the "Inscription on the Reconstruction of the Cantonese Guild Hall" from the 53rd year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty, after various goods traded by Cantonese merchants entered Guangxi, Longxu became their distribution hub, and many Cantonese businessmen also resided there. As a result, a Guan Yu Temple was built here early on by the Cantonese community for worship and gatherings.

In the 53rd year of the Kangxi reign, “the temple was converted into a guild hall.”

By the 53rd year of the Qianlong reign, the Cantonese Guild Hall underwent a large-scale renovation and expansion project. “The old foundation was expanded and a new layout was established,” resulting in the architectural scale we see today. The surviving structures feature high-quality materials, combining brick, wood, and stone carvings with fine craftsmanship, along with exquisite and vivid plaster sculptures and paintings. They are of great significance for studying the architectural art of Guangxi and Guangdong regions, as well as the evolution of architectural styles during the transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties in the two provinces.

They also provide important insights into the history of Cangwu and the commercial trade of the time.

The Cangwu Cantonese Guild Hall covers a total area of 537 square meters, with a built-up area of 459 square meters. It consists of the main original structures of the guild hall — the mountain gate, the Guan Yu Hall, and the Tin Hau Palace. The side halls that once flanked the main structure were demolished after the Cultural Revolution. Today, the statues in the central and rear halls remain intact, and the site enjoys thriving incense offerings, making it a historic landmark renowned across Guangdong and Guangxi.