Huguang guild hall in Chongqing

Huguang guild hall in Chongqing

Huguang guild hall, located at No.4, dongshuimen Main Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, was built in 1759 and expanded in 1846. Covering an area of 8561 square meters, the guild hall now has Guangdong guild hall, Jiangnan guild hall, Lianghu guild hall, Jiangxi guild hall and four theatrical buildings, including Guangdong Office and Qi'an office.

The architectural relief carving of the guild hall is very exquisite and lifelike. Its main themes are: the story of journey to the west, the romance of the west chamber, the list of gods and the twenty-four filial piety, as well as the dragon and Phoenix, animals and all kinds of exotic flowers and plants. The whole group of ancient buildings, with exquisite carvings, is the representative of Southern architectural art in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and also the largest existing group of ancient guild buildings in China. In the area of dongshuimen, according to the geomantic theory, the inside of the river bend is "auspicious land", and the outside is "fierce land". Dongshuimen happens to be the place where rosefinch dances. The geomantic omen is very good, so the guild hall is located here.

In February 2020, in order to pay tribute to the medical workers struggling in the front line of anti epidemic, from the date of resumption of operation to December 31, 2020, the policy of free visit to all medical workers in the country will be implemented.

Introduction to guild hall

Huguang guild hall in Chongqing is located at the Yangtze River side of dongshuimen, Yuzhong District, Chongqing. It is the general name of the early Qing Dynasty ancient buildings and new antique buildings, such as guangdongsuo, qiangongsuo, yuwanggong, etc. it is the largest ancient guild hall building group in China's urban center. The Guildhall group was built in the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. From the reign of Emperor Qianlong to the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, the Guildhall group has been continuously expanded, newly built and rebuilt. At present, the Guildhall group is rebuilt in the reign of Emperor Daoguang and Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, which has a history of nearly 300 years. It is a historical witness of Chongqing's prosperous commercial high in the Qing Dynasty, and an important symbol of Chongqing's immigrant culture, commercial culture and architectural culture from the early Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China.

Chongqing Huguang Sichuan Immigration Museum is located in a new antique building, which vividly represents a very important immigration wave in the history of human immigration - Huguang Sichuan immigration movement. The process of this immigration movement and its impact on the cultural and economic life of Sichuan and Chongqing will be answered one by one here. Being here is like going back to the magnificent immigration movement more than 300 years ago. The exhibition of guild hall culture is a profound interpretation of many immigrant guild halls in Sichuan and Chongqing. The origin of the guild hall, its functions, its buildings, its beliefs, and its activities, as soon as they are laid out, will be like a piece of gorgeous silk, which will amaze future generations.

In front is the Yangtze River rolling eastward, behind is more than 300 years of silent buildings, in the quiet standing, those once mottled clouds, once dazzling glory, once endless prosperous, endless vicissitudes, all in today, meandering.

History and culture

Architectural history

Huguang guild hall was built in 1759 A.D. and expanded in the 26th year of Daoguang. It covers a total area of 8561 square meters. It faces south and faces the Yangtze River. According to historical records, the whole building is built in line with the mountain, with strict structure and grand momentum. It is divided into three parts: dayuanmen (temple gate), hall gallery and theater courtyard.

The timber used in the main hall, the theater and the gallery were all transported from the north of Chu Dynasty. The number of workers and the fine workmanship were amazing The main hall is of Xieshan style with double eaves, with an area of 270 square meters, a height of 12.5 meters, a depth of 14 meters and a width of 16 meters.

The hall is connected with the theater building. The main hall and theater building are carved with beams and painted buildings. The pink walls and color screens are magnificent. In particular, the wood carvings of the ring building under the eaves of the main hall and the theater tower are carved with "twenty four filial piety", the story of characters in journey to the West and the list of gods, landscape, flowers and birds. They are exquisite in craftsmanship, vivid in carving and endless in pictures. What is more spectacular and precious is the Yuanmen building of the guild hall. The gate is a wooden structure with double eaves and stone rows. It is 6 meters high and 5 meters wide. The stone carvings are carved with landscape, figures, flowers and birds patterns. It is exquisite and exquisite in various forms. On both sides of the gate, there are a pair of stone lions standing face to face, which can be regarded as a treasure of Sichuan stone carving art.

Huguang guild hall in Chongqing is the general name of Yuwang palace, guangdonggongsuo, qiangongsuo and other early Qing Dynasty ancient buildings and new imitative buildings. The guild hall was built in Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty, expanded in Daoguang period, and underwent several "cosmetic operations" from Qianlong to Guangxu period. It has a history of nearly 300 years. It is the largest existing ancient guild hall building group in the urban center of China.

When you enter Huguang guild hall, you will first see Yuwang palace. On the left side of Yuwang palace is China's first Immigration Museum, Huguang Sichuan Immigration Museum. With the background of Huguang Sichuan immigration, the museum shows the political background, economic factors and routes of immigrants to Sichuan from different angles, fully reflecting the history of Huguang Sichuan immigration.

Then there is the Qi'an office, the best preserved building in the complex, with a construction area of about 1600 square meters. Qi'an residence is a guild hall built by the immigrants from Huangzhou Prefecture, Hubei Province. It was built in the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. The whole building includes a theater, patio, viewing hall, holding hall, main hall, etc. the gate is inclined to the East, facing the direction of the immigrants' hometown, Huangzhou Prefecture, Hubei Province. It not only pays attention to geomantic omen, but also conveys the homesickness of the immigrants to their ancestral land.

Through the Qi'an residence, you enter the Guangdong residence with the words "Lingnan guanzhan" on the forehead. On the buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there are carved the stories of the characters in "twenty four filial piety", "journey to the west" and "Fengshen list", as well as the landscapes, flowers and birds. The simple and elegant architecture and the vivid carving all show the prosperity and brilliance of the largest existing ancient guild hall complex in China with a history of nearly 300 years.

Building restoration

In the mid-1980s, during the second cultural relics survey in Chongqing, Huguang guild hall was found in the dangerous buildings of dongshuimen in xiahongxue lane. At this time, Huguang guild hall has become a residential and unit warehouse. It is not only in disrepair for a long time, but also severely damaged by a large number of exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings, halls and pavilions. Moreover, the local people's living environment is also very bad, facing fire, termites, dangerous house collapse and other security risks, and the whole guild hall group may face extinction at any time.

In the upsurge of old city reconstruction, Chongqing municipal and Yuzhong District Governments decided to invest more than 100 million yuan in the protective restoration of Huguang guild hall core area. From December 28, 2003 to September 2005, the construction of Huguang guild hall was completed. Yuwang palace, Guangdong residence and Qi'an residence were restored, and some antique buildings were newly built. The restored building area is 7634 square meters.

The restoration work of Huguang guild hall was included in the world bank loan project and the key project of Chongqing in 2003. The national public bidding for cultural relic projects was carried out for the restoration project, and the first-class cultural relic construction teams in Beijing, Shanxi and Shandong were finally determined to implement the restoration project. At the same time, the old city wall and ancient city building around dongshuimen were restored, and the ancient buildings such as Guanmiao and qipaifang, which are difficult to protect in other areas, were also moved to this area for centralized protection, making Huguang guild hall the most concentrated ancient architectural complex in the main urban area of Chongqing.

In September 2005, 21 months later, Huguang guild hall was restored and completed. Luo Zhewen, an expert on Chinese ancient architecture and cultural relics, wrote a poem specially for this purpose: "the vicissitudes of the old mansion in Yudu have not been forgotten 60 years ago, and the broken walls and remnant walls have disappeared. I like to see the famous relics again."

architectural culture

Huguang guild hall now holds many festival activities such as "Immigration Culture Festival", "Yuwang temple fair" and "Folk Art Festival" every year. It has also become a film and television shooting base, photography creation base and painting creation base, as well as a base for traditional weddings.

Now many young people like to hold weddings here more and more. According to statistics, more than 30 Chinese weddings are held here every year. Some newlyweds think that holding a wedding here is not only novel in form, but also profound in meaning. It also makes friends who come to the wedding remember deeply and unforgettable. In fact, in addition to wedding activities, Huguang guild hall is also favored by some fashion goods release activities. As a person in charge of an advertising company said: "Huguang guild hall has been honed over the years and has immortal historical value. Some fashion goods are also classics and models that have been handed down for hundreds of years and can become the best of the two classics."

Following the expansion and regional transformation of wanglongmen and Qixinggang central business districts, Yuzhong District will transform Jiefang East Road, Jiefang West Road and other lower urban areas into historical and cultural areas of the lower urban area. In 3-5 years, the lower half of Chongqing will become a new window area.

From the Southern Song Dynasty to the opening of Chongqing port, the second half of Chongqing has accumulated profound Bayu culture and historical culture, which is now known as the mother city of Chongqing. However, in the past, the construction investment in this area was insufficient for a long time, and the infrastructure, living environment and living conditions were poor. In the past, this area was included in the municipal reconstruction area of dilapidated houses. After several years of efforts, the relocation of dilapidated houses and shantytowns in this area has basically ended, and has entered the transformation and development stage.

The historical and cultural area of the lower half of the city will be divided into three major areas, including Baixiang street in the central area, Huguang guild hall and wanglongmen area in the East, and shibati area in the West. These areas have profound historical and cultural heritage. In the future, while respecting the historical style and spatial pattern planning, they will not only promote the development of the city

Chinese PinYin : Zhong Qing Hu Guang Hui Guan