Former Site of Hunan Guild Hall

Former Site of Hunan Guild Hall

The former site of the Hunan Guild Hall is a protected cultural heritage site of Beijing.

Destination Introduction

The former site of the Hunan Guild Hall is located at No. 101, Lanman Hutong, Xuanwu District. It was built in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign (1887). The hall originally featured a stage and a Wenchang study room, though the stage has since been demolished. From February to July 1920, Mao Zedong led the Hunan Delegation to Expel Zhang Jingyao to Beijing and stayed at the guild hall, where he also convened the “Hunan Masses Assembly to Expel Warlord Zhang Jingyao,” which was attended by a thousand people. It is now a key cultural relic under protection in Beijing.

Guild halls emerged during the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty. The Ming scholar Liu Tong wrote in his work *Scenic Spots of the Imperial Capital*: “It is found that guild halls were established in the capital, something not seen in ancient times, beginning in the Jiajing and Longqing eras.” This serves as evidence that guild halls started appearing during the Jiajing and Longqing periods (1522–1572). According to statistics, the earliest-built guild hall was the Nanchang Guild Hall of Jiangxi, constructed during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, while the latest was the Daye Guild Hall of Hubei, built in 1936. The Hunan Guild Hall served as a lodging place for Hunan students traveling to the capital to take imperial exams. After the Republic of China period, it gradually became a residence for Hunan natives—both fellow townsmen and students—coming to Beijing for education or employment. Built in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1887), it is located at No. 101, Lanman Hutong, Xuanwu District, and is now a key cultural relic under protection in Beijing.

Address: No. 101, Lanman Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Municipal-Level Protected Cultural Heritage Sites in Beijing