The Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall | Over 300 years of history, Yuwang Palace, Guangdong Guild Hall, Qi'an Guild Hall

Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall, also known as Yuwang Temple, is located at No. 1 Bajiaoyuan, Changbin Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing. It includes the Guangdong Guild Hall, Jiangnan Guild Hall, Lianghu Guild Hall, Jiangxi Guild Hall, and four opera towers, as well as the Guangdong Guild Office and Qi'an Guild Office. It represents the architectural art of southern China during the Ming and Qing dynasties and is one of the largest existing ancient guild hall complexes in China. The Huguang Guild Hall faces south with its main gate facing the Yangtze River, where thousands of sails compete. The entire building is built against the mountain, with a tightly structured and majestic layout, divided into three parts: the main gate (temple gate), the main hall corridor, and the opera courtyard. The guild hall culture of Sichuan (including Chongqing) was formed by the 'Huguang Filling Sichuan' movement. After the Song Dynasty, Sichuan suffered from frequent wars, leading to a drastic reduction in population. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Qing government launched a large-scale immigration movement known as 'Huguang Filling Sichuan'. The 'Huguang' here still refers to Hunan and Hubei. In fact, the provinces that participated in filling Sichuan also included Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, and a total of sixteen provinces. Hunan and Hubei were prone to water disasters, so they worshipped Yu the Great, praying for favorable weather, peaceful rivers, and safe voyages. In front of the bronze statue of Yu the Great stands a plaque inscribed with 'Lord of All Under Heaven'. Therefore, the Huguang Guild Hall is also known as Yuwang Palace and Yuwang Temple. Yu, as the first king of the Xia Dynasty, was later known as Xia Yu and was a sage emperor comparable to Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor in ancient times. Yu's most outstanding achievement, which has been extolled throughout history, was the regulation of the great floods, the demarcation of the Nine Provinces, and the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, for which he was revered as Yu the Great. The opera stage of the Guangdong Guild Office is the largest of the three stages in the Huguang Guild Hall. The exquisite carvings are concentrated in the stage architecture, with carvings of ghosts and deities from 'The Investiture of the Gods' being the main theme, which is rarely seen elsewhere. Additionally, there are scenes of local officials in Chongqing conducting trials, which are very narrative. 📍Detailed address: Huguang Guild Hall: No. 1 Bajiaoyuan, Changbin Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing Ticket price: 25 yuan/person