Former Site of the Nanhai Guild Hall

　　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). In the eighth year of the Guangxu reign (1882), Kang Youwei came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations and lived here until the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898.

　　　　Kang Youwei lived in the middle courtyard of the north wing. Because there were seven trees there at the time, it was also called Qishu Hall. The three western rooms served as his bedroom, while the four northern rooms functioned as his study. One of these rooms was boat-shaped, which Kang called the "Hanman Boat." A corridor ran through the courtyard, and the walls of the long corridor were inlaid with stone tablets engraved with reproductions of Su Dongpo’s calligraphy on crabapple blossoms. The north room in the courtyard resembled a small boat, with stained glass windows, hence Kang named it the “Hanman Boat.” It was here that Kang wrote many poems and essays and frequently strategized reform plans with the reformists. 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 jointly submit it to the Censorate. This became the historically famous “Public Vehicle Petition.” He also founded the newspaper “Chinese and Foreign Chronicles” within the guild hall, established the Cantonese Study Society and the Protect-the-Country Society, and vigorously promoted reform and innovation. After the failure of the Reform Movement, Kang fled from here to Hong Kong.

　　　　Today, the former residence of Kang Youwei still preserves important stone inscriptions such as the “Nanhai Guild Hall Stele Inscription,” which continues to attract visitors for historical reflection.

　　 Xuanwu District, Beijing