Guangzhou Chaozhou Bayi Guild Hall

Guangzhou Chaozhou Bayi Guild Hall

The Guangzhou Chaozhou Bayi Guild Hall is a Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Guangzhou Chaozhou Bayi Guild Hall was established in the 14th year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1875). It is situated on Changdi Dadao in Guangzhou, now the location of Changdi Zhenguang Middle School and the nearby areas of Yian Li, Yian Citang Road, Shigongcitang Road, Bayi Shangheng, Bayi Xiaheng, Yingzhu Street, and Shuiyuegong Back Street. The guild hall was composed of a front hall, rear hall, ceremonial pavilion, central hall, as well as east and west corridors. Currently, only the central hall and the ceremonial pavilion remain.

Historical records indicate that after the signing of the Tianjin Treaty in the 8th year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty, which opened five ports to foreign trade, Guangzhou became a bustling commercial hub. Many Chaozhou officials and merchants resided in the provincial capital, yet while guild halls existed in cities from Tianjin in the north to Qiongnan in the south, none were present in the provincial capital itself. At that time, Chaozhou natives residing in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Foshan, and other places proposed the establishment of a guild hall in Guangzhou to strengthen ties among the Chaozhou community and to support public welfare initiatives. Merchants and businesses from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Foshan, Shantou, and other locations collectively donated over 50,000 taels of silver. The Chaozhou Guild Hall was designed by the same team responsible for constructing the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall in Guangzhou. After its completion, the guild hall served as lodging for Chaozhou students coming to the provincial capital to take the imperial examinations, and frequently hosted fellow Chaozhou natives who came to study or seek opportunities in the capital or elsewhere, or who were conducting business. For instance, Luo Tian, former Director of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress and former President of the Guangdong Chaozhou Overseas Friendship Association, along with over ten fellow townsmen including Zhang Kehua and Wu Ying, were accommodated by the guild hall free of charge and given travel funds to return to Chaoshan after fleeing Beijing following its occupation by Japanese forces in 1937. Zhang Shun, former Deputy Director of the Guangdong Agricultural Machinery Research Institute, Huang Zhenzhong, an economic engineer at the Guangdong Water Conservancy Design Institute, and Chen Wensi, Associate Professor at South China University of Technology, also received financial assistance or free lodging at the guild hall. The Chaozhou Guild Hall played a significant role in fostering connections and exchanges among Chaozhou people from various fields, as well as promoting trade and benefiting their hometowns.

In July 2002, it was designated as part of the sixth batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units