Former Site of the Nanhai Guild Hall

Former Site of the Nanhai Guild Hall

The former site of the Nanhai Guild Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

Destination Introduction

The former site of the Nanhai Guild Hall is located at No. 43 Mishi Hutong. It was first built in the fourth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1824). From the eighth year of the Guangxu reign (1882), when Kang Youwei came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations, until the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898, he lived here.

Kang Youwei lived in the central courtyard of the north wing. Because there were seven trees there at the time, it was also called Qishu Hall. The three western rooms of Qishu Hall served as his bedroom, and the four northern rooms as his study, one of which was boat-shaped—Kang called it the “Hànmàn Fǎng” (Vast Voyager). A long corridor connected the spaces, and its walls were inlaid with stone tablets engraved with Su Dongpo’s calligraphy on crabapple blossoms. The northern room in the courtyard resembled a small boat, with stained glass windows, hence Kang named it the “Hànmàn Fǎng.” It was here that Kang wrote many poems and essays and planned reform strategies with fellow reformists on multiple occasions. In April 1895, when Japan forced the Qing government to sign the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki, Kang drafted the “Public Vehicle Petition” overnight and mobilized over 1,200 people to sign and submit it to the Metropolitan Censorate. This became the famous “Gongche Shangshu” movement in history. He also founded the newspaper “Chinese and Foreign Chronicles” within the guild hall, established the Cantonese Study Society and the Protect-the-Country Society, vigorously promoting reform and modernization. After the failure of the Reform Movement, Kang fled from here to Hong Kong.

Today, the former residence of Kang Youwei still houses important stone carvings such as the “Nanhai Guild Hall Stele Inscription,” which continues to attract visitors interested in exploring this site of historical significance.

Xuanwu District, Beijing