Walking in Henan and understanding Kaifeng: See the three kinds of carving treasures in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall

🏘️There are guild halls everywhere in cities across the country. These quaint and luxurious buildings have witnessed the vast century-long history of commerce, politics, regional cultural exchanges, and the legendary stories of one business group after another getting rich. Visiting a guild hall means entering into the splendor and prosperity of the folk commercial culture of the Ming and Qing dynasties. 🏮In the ancient Xufu Street in Kaifeng City sits the Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall, a magnificent ancient building that is more than 200 years old. It was built by wealthy businessmen from the three provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu living in Kaifeng on the site of the residence of Xu Da, the King of Zhongshan and a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty. Its brick carving, wood carving and stone carving techniques can be called the "three wonders" of the guild hall. For me who likes this kind of pure ancient monument, it is worth it. ✅Main highlights: 1️⃣A model of courtyard-style ancient architecture. The architectural art of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall is unique. The main buildings such as the screen wall, theater, archway, and main hall are placed on the central axis, and the ancillary buildings are located on the east and west sides. The buildings are connected in series with eaves corridors. The entire complex is not large in scale, but neat and exquisite. 2️⃣The exquisite stone carvings, brick carvings and wood carvings in each hall are treasures of carving art. The entire building is covered with brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings, which depict Buddhist stories and legendary figures vividly and lifelike. Every detail is like a portrayal of a vivid story. 3️⃣The "Dayi Cantian" archway in the middle of the courtyard of the guild hall is a representative archway in the history of ancient architecture. The main hall is about ten meters north of the archway, where a statue of Guan Yu is enshrined. The main hall is the most important building in the guild hall and is majestic and imposing. 🎫Ticket price: 25 yuan. The total visit time is about 1 hour. If you stay in Kaifeng for more than 2 days, you can buy an 80-yuan pass for the ten attractions in Kaifeng Songdu Imperial City Resort. It includes 10 scenic spots, including Wansui Mountain Song Dynasty Martial Arts City, Qifeng Hometown, China Hanyuan, Kaifeng Ancient City Wall Scenic Area, Zhouqiao and Bianhe Ruins, Underground War Reserve Granary, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall, Yanqing Temple, Fan Tower, and Zhuxian Town Yue Temple, with a validity period of 5 days. 📍Address: No. 105, North Xufu Street, Kaifeng City, Henan Province. The Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall is in a small alley. There is an open space next to it that has been turned into a parking lot. Parking is very convenient in the ancient city area.