Ningbo Guild Hall (Siming Gongsuo)

　　The Ningbo Guild Hall (Siming Gongsuo) was established in the second year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1797) by Ningbo merchants and artisans living in Shanghai. Its northern section functioned as a coffin depository and a public cemetery. In 1849, the guild hall was incorporated into the French Concession. In 1874 and 1898, after long coveting the land, the Municipal Council of the French Concession brazenly resorted to force on two occasions, attempting to seize the guild hall and the cemetery grounds, resulting in multiple casualties among local citizens. Shanghai residents fearlessly resisted, staging protests and strikes across various trades, which ultimately compelled the French colonialists to abandon their plans to occupy the guild hall. Today, only the main gate and surrounding walls remain.