Yunnan folk house (4) Huize Guildhall: National treasure of grandeur and splendor

The Huize Guildhall, also known as Wanshou Temple, is a must-see sight in the northeast Yunnan’s Huize County for the hall integrates Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. And it features wood carvings, bronze carvings, and tile carvings.

With a total of 44 guildhalls/temples in different styles, Huize boasts the widest range of guildhalls among Chinese counties. A historic building of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1912), the Huize Guildhall is renowned for its grandeur and splendor, and it has been inscribed on the list of China’s National Treasures. 

Walking in the guildhall, you might notice that there is a distinction between its major buildings and the minor ones. The architecture is characterized by symmetry. All important and core buildings of the guildhall were built along the central axis, which not only makes sense in space but also in ideology.

Related structures of the guildhall were arranged in line with the basic model of China’s traditional palace-style buildings, with an emphasis on symmetry and highlights structures along the central axis, which in sequence consists of opera house, main hall, and rear courtyard. 

The evolution of the guildhalls in Huize is closely related to the well-developed copper industry throughout history, which had constantly drawn industrialists from across China to the county.

In general, the guildhalls have ornate screen walls, elegant gates, imposing stone guardian lions, gorgeous stages and attics, as well as magnificent front halls and main halls.  

(Text by Liu Jiatong, Zhang Rui and Photos by Liu Jiatong from Daguan Weekly)