Gongji Association Site

What travelers say:

The Masonics is located on the Dun Road and is not open to the outside world, so you can only look at the appearance of the building. Masonics is the largest and oldest civil organization in Europe and the United States, born in the United Kingdom and spread around the world with its foreign colonial expansion. Many British people who rented Weihaiwei, especially the British Navy, were Masonic members. In 1902, Masonic Association established a branch on Liugong Island, called Dentri Masonic Association. At the beginning of the establishment, the house was rented as a venue for activities. Due to the long-term damage of the leased house, it was difficult to adapt to the needs of the activities, so they decided to build their own clubhouse through members. They first purchased a land outside the northern wall of the former Beiyang Naval Admiralty Office, and the lease period was 50 years from June 18, 1909. Construction began next, completed in May 1910, the Masonic Dentri Hall. The official opening ceremony was held on June 6. Due to the failure of the first floor hall and the crushing of the roof in winter, the first floor hall was soon completed, and the renovation had to be carried out in 1911, narrowing the arch in the hall and removing the roof of the daughter wall. After the autumn of 1940, the British Navy evacuated Liugong Island and the Dentri Masonic Association moved to Hong Kong. Shortly after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese army seized Hong Kong and the activities of the Dentrim Masonic Club were suspended. In June 1947, the group was re-established in the southern town of Fairham, becoming the first Far Eastern Masonic Club to be reorganized in Britain. The association continues the traditional Chinese way used in the year to organize annual membership gatherings. After the founding of New China, the building was managed by the island's navy. It was abandoned in late this century due to its long disrepair and became a dangerous house. It was renovated by the Liugong Island Management Committee in 2013.