Dongping Pawnshop (Pawn Museum)

Dongping Pawnshop (Pawn Museum)

Dongping Pawnshop (Pawn Museum) is a Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Qing Dynasty pawnshop watchtower of Dongping Pawnshop is located at No. 1 Zhongshan 4th Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, right next to the gate tower of the Ming Dynasty East City Gate. This watchtower-style former pawnshop was built during the Qing Dynasty and is commonly known as the "Dongda Gate Pawnshop," which was the second largest pawnshop in the city at the time. It stands in contrast to another former pawnshop site on Zhongshan 7th Road at Ximenkou — Baosheng Pawnshop. Dongping Pawnshop has now been transformed into the first pawn museum on the Chinese mainland.

The building has a square floor plan, with five stories on the north side and four on the south, and features a watchtower-like exterior. Today, only the warehouse building of the pawnshop remains, with windows on all four sides — the windows are larger inside and smaller outside, framed with granite window sills. The roof is equipped with a parapet wall, giving the entire structure the appearance of a fortress. It was designated as a Guangzhou municipal cultural relic in 1999.

Over a hundred years ago, more than 400 pawnshops stood in Guangzhou, so much so that there was a saying “there were more pawnshops than rice shops.” Today, most have vanished without a trace, with only a few fortress-style pawnshops remaining in the old city area that leave a deep impression — one of them is “Dongping Pawnshop” at the intersection of Zhongshan 4th Road and Yuexiu Middle Road. Standing for a century, Dongping Pawnshop has witnessed the rise, fall, glory, and shame of Guangzhou's history.

The first floor of the Pawn Museum is the main exhibition hall, which has restored the high counters and pawnshop scenes of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The second floor displays historical documents, photos, and objects related to modern pawnbroking. The third floor showcases the development and innovation of the modern pawn industry and is also used to host various appraisal events and knowledge lectures on pawned items. Currently, aside from one in Macau, Guangzhou’s Dongping Pawnshop is the first pawn museum on the Chinese mainland.

Address: No. 1 Zhongshan 4th Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Type: Museum

Recommended visiting time: 2 hours

Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday: 9:30–16:30; closed on Mondays.

Ticket information: Free admission.

Further reading:

· Ninth Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units