Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall(Chongqing Huguang Club)

The Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall is located on the banks of the Yangtze River in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, beside the ancient East Water Gate. It consists of three grand halls: the Yu King Palace, the Qian Guildhall, and the Guangdong Guildhall, all surrounded by high walls. The Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall was first built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Through continuous renovations and expansions from Qianlong to Guangxu, it reached its current scale, with a history of nearly 300 years. At the end of 2003, the governments of Chongqing and Yuzhong District invested nearly 200 million yuan to carry out protective restoration of the core area of the Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall, which was completed in September 2005. The central area of the guild hall covers an area of 18,418㎡. As a business institution based in Chongqing (Chongqing) funded by foreign officials, gentry, and merchants during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, it is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient guild hall complexes still existing in China. Three hundred years ago, represented by the "Huguang Filling Sichuan" campaign, which involved more than a dozen provinces, the large-scale migration movement forged the broad-mindedness of Chongqing people characterized by tolerance, openness, unity, and progress, as well as their resolute, brave, enthusiastic, and straightforward character. The Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall not only preserves the material culture of the guild hall's architecture but also embodies the intangible culture of immigrant spirit. In the past, present, and future, the Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall has been an important cultural symbol that Chongqing people are proud of. The guild hall is grand in scale, with a staggered layout, majestic halls, and a simple and elegant design. It is remarkable that it has survived in a bustling city area filled with skyscrapers, and holds significant historical, artistic, and scientific value. The Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall, also known as the Yu King Temple, Yu King Palace, or Chu Temple, worships the Great Yu King to ward off floods; Qian Gongshou is also known as the Emperor's Palace, dedicated to the Emperor (also called the Lucky Lord) to pray for happiness, good fortune, and safety; The Guangdong Administrative Office is also called Nanhua Palace, dedicated to the ancestor Huineng of Nanhua. Immigrants from various provinces, mainly from Huguang, settled in Bashu, and local beliefs followed the migrants into Sichuan, thus forming a unique folk belief pattern in Sichuan during the Qing dynasty. During this period, the belief in Dayu in the Bashu region also exhibited the unique phenomenon of 'Shu originating from Shu and worshipped by Chu.' Since its opening, the Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall has welcomed over ten million visitors from home and abroad, becoming a calling card of Chongqing and a monument of Chinese immigrant culture, enjoying great prestige both at home and abroad; It embodies the reverence and pride of the Bashu ancestors for Chinese culture, serves as an important carrier and proof of the inheritance of Chinese civilization on the land of Bashu, and serves as a premium stage where brilliant history and modern culture shine together. The guild hall currently houses over ten thousand sculptural artworks such as wood, stone, and brick carvings, all meticulously carved and breathtaking. Before restoration, the guild hall preserved a large number of Ming and Qing dynasty carvings, mainly featuring motifs from Journey to the West, Romance of the Western Chamber, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Investiture of the Gods, and the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, as well as dragons, phoenixes, animals, and various exotic flowers and plants. These were likely a form of reverence for the totems of the hometown by immigrants and are outstanding representatives of southern Chinese sculptural art during the Ming and Qing periods. In 2003, with the support of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Tourism Bureau, and other departments, experts and teams from across the country spent nearly two years restoring and restoring the sculptural art preserved in the guild hall, bringing it back to life. The museum features a wide variety of sculptures, beautiful forms, and vibrant gilding and vivid colors. The antique charm offers a beautiful experience, reflecting the refined aesthetic cultivation and superb craftsmanship of the ancients. As one of China's earliest immigrant museums, the Huguang Filling Sichuan Immigration Museum uses 'Huguang Fills Sichuan' as its backdrop, showcasing the historical background, economic factors, and routes of migration to Sichuan from various perspectives. It vividly and comprehensively reflects the history of 'Huguang Fills Sichuan,' and holds significant value for research and education on folk customs, guild hall culture, architecture, and garden culture. By drawing on the strengths of many and innovating, using modern multimedia technology, combining sound, light, and electrical technology, and a series of interactive experiences, visitors can immerse themselves in retraced the migration path and experience the hardships of their ancestors' entrepreneurship. It recreates scenes of people from provinces such as Hunan, Hubei, and Guangxi traveling by water and land into Sichuan, systematically introducing the influx of commercial immigrants and gradually turning Chongqing into a commercial and commercial city. The East Water Gate city wall was first built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, with a history of over 600 years. Facing the Yangtze River, it stands alone in the middle of the river, naturally formidable and imposing, presenting a typical ancient city wall with mountain city characteristics and possessing high architectural scientific and artistic value. The long history of the East Water Gate and its city wall being established and evolved records the vicissitudes of the water wharf and Chongqing's mother city, reflecting Chongqing's long history and rich culture. In 2000, it was announced by the Chongqing Municipal People's Government as one of the first batch of municipal-level cultural relic protection units after direct administration, and in 2013, it was designated as a national key cultural relic protection unit. The rich historical and cultural heritage and ingenious ancient architectural forms of Chongqing Huguang Guild Hall have attracted numerous film and television production companies to shoot locations, becoming a popular location for film and television shoots. Since its restoration and opening, it has provided outdoor filming and location locations for numerous film, variety show, and photography programs, including "Smart Battle at Shajiabang," "Drunken Paper," "Spy War," "Chongqing 1950," "Quality Bodyguard," "Lu Zuofu," "Eight Minutes of Warmth," "The Lie Detector," "Go Fighting!", "Twelve Flavors," and "New Year."