Beijing Huguang Guild Hall

Beijing Huguang Guild Hall

Beijing Huguang Guild Hall is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level, and a patriotic education base.

Built in 1807, Beijing Huguang Guild Hall is located in the southwest corner of Hufangqiao in Xicheng District. To the east is Hufang Road, to the north is Luomashi Street, to the south is adjacent to the Beijing Workers' Club, and to the west is a residential area. Its address is No. 3, Hufang Road. The complex features exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters, finely-jointed blue brick walls, presenting the splendor of imperial courtyards yet also exhibiting an exquisite elegance reminiscent of a prince’s mansion. The Huguang Guild Hall was established as a provincial association by people from Hunan and Hubei provinces residing in Beijing to foster hometown camaraderie. It served primarily as accommodation and meeting place for fellow provincials, boasting a 200-year history. It is one of the few remaining guild halls in Beijing that still has a theater building, and the first to be restored to its original layout and opened to the public.

The original site of the guild hall was once the residence of high-ranking officials and notable figures during the Qing Dynasty. Historical records indicate that successive ministers from the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns lived here, such as Liu Quanzhi and Wang Jie. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the great Chinese revolutionary, visited Beijing Huguang Guild Hall five times. He convened the First National Congress of the Kuomintang here, announcing the founding of the party, and held numerous subsequent party meetings. Many renowned performing artists from the world of Chinese opera also performed on its stage, including Tan Xinpei, Chen Delin, and the famous Peking Opera patron Wang Zhijun. Though Huguang Guild Hall had a glorious past, after a century of weathering, it gradually lost its original luster and fell into disrepair. To protect this precious heritage left by our ancestors, in May 1984, the Beijing Municipal People’s Government designated the Huguang Guild Hall as a municipal cultural relics protection unit, further affirming its value. In December 1986, Zhang Kaiji, then member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal CPPCC and chief architect of the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, proposed the idea of restoring old guild halls in Beijing to establish a theater museum. This proposal received attention from relevant leaders, who subsequently inspected the Huguang Guild Hall and decided to restore it. After years of effort and collaboration among people from all walks of life, and overcoming numerous difficulties throughout a decade-long restoration process, the renovation of Beijing Huguang Guild Hall was finally completed in April 1996.

On May 8, 1996, the grand theater of Beijing Huguang Guild Hall officially reopened to the public. The restored theater features murals on its surrounding walls, carefully researched and reproduced by artisans. Above the stage hangs a plaque inscribed with “Ni Chang Tong Yong” (Singing the Same Hymn in Harmony). The couplet on the columns stretches sixteen feet, with the upper line reading “At the imperial court, we gather in unity, a scene of boundless magnificence as if by the lakes of Dongting and Yunmeng,” and the lower line responding “In the avenues of peace, we dance together, melodies and rhythms unchanged, echoing the purity of White Snow and Bright Spring.” The audience seating is divided into upper and lower levels, with classic Chinese round tables arranged neatly, offering a comfortable environment for visitors. The restored guild hall maintains its original architectural style — the overall structure is rustic, elegant, spacious, with intricately carved beams, painted rafters, and secluded pathways, presenting a distinctive charm of antiquity and refinement, becoming a beautiful landmark in southern Beijing. After extensive artifact collection efforts and intense preparations, on September 6, 1997, Beijing Huguang Guild Hall was established as the 100th museum in Beijing, the “Beijing Opera Museum.” The restoration of the Huguang Guild Hall not only added a new attraction to Beijing, but also developed tourism resources and contributed to patriotic education for young people. It is also recognized as one of the first patriotic education bases in Xuanwu District, as designated by the Xuanwu District Committee and District Government.

On October 7, 2019, Beijing Huguang Guild Hall was included in the eighth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Location

No. 3, Hufang Road, Xicheng District, Beijing

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units in Beijing

· Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level