Former Site of Hunan Guild Hall

　　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 guild hall originally housed 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 and stayed at the guild hall during their visit to Beijing. It was here that the “Hunan Masses Assembly to Expel the Warlord Zhang Jingyao,” attended by a thousand people, was held. The site is now a key cultural relic protected by Beijing Municipality.

　　Guild halls originated in the Ming Dynasty and reached their peak during the Qing Dynasty. Liu Tong, a Ming scholar, wrote in his work Scenic Spots of the Imperial Capital: “It is recorded that guild halls were set up in the capital, something unprecedented in ancient times, beginning in the Jiajing and Longqing eras.” This serves as evidence that guild halls first appeared during the Jiajing and Longqing periods (1522–1572). According to statistics, the earliest-built guild hall was the Jiangxi Nanchang Guild Hall from the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, while the latest was the Hubei Daye Guild Hall, constructed in 1936. The Hunan Guild Hall served as lodging for Hunan students traveling to the capital for study. After the Republic of China period, it gradually became a residence for fellow provincials 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 protected by Beijing Municipality.