Niche Attractions | Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall | A must-see for lovers of ancient style!!

| Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall | A must-see for lovers of ancient style!! Niche Attractions | Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall | A must-see for lovers of ancient style!! As a local, I sincerely share this! This is probably the least visited attraction in Kaifeng, but this is where you can truly start your in-depth tour of Kaifeng. The Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall, built in 1776, was formerly the residence of a founding father of the Ming Dynasty and now houses a statue of Guan Yu. The wood carvings, stone carvings and brick carvings here are known as the "three wonders". Scenic spot address: Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu Guild Hall No. 1, No. 85, Xufu Street (very close to the Drum Tower, less than 10 minutes’ walk) Tickets and explanations Tickets 25/person Explanation 40/person There are also free explanations. If you don't listen to the explanations, you may just go in and take a quick look at the carvings, worship Guan Gong, and listen to the explanations before you understand the meaning of the carvings and the history of the guild hall. Main attractions: Zhaobi The screen wall is mainly divided into three parts: the base, the wall, and the hip roof. The base is a bluestone Sumeru pedestal, which is one of the traditional Chinese pedestal forms. Both sides of the wall are decorated with brick-carved peonies and Hui-shaped flower frames, and on the back there are 18 dragon-patterned bricks in different positions in the flower frames. The roof of the hall is hip-and-gable, and under the eaves are brick carvings of various shapes of vases, flower arrangements, stoves, book boxes, scrolls, musical instruments, etc. Theater The existing theater is the one relocated from Kaifeng Fire God Temple. It is the only ancient theater preserved in Kaifeng. The best place to watch the show is inside the main hall. It is said that the performance upstairs is not for ordinary people, but for Guan Yu. Archway "Great righteousness reaches the sky" is a praise of Guan Yu's character. Three rooms, six pillars, five floors, with a non-protruding roof and a hip roof. The plan layout is in the shape of a chicken claw, with three pillars in a group, standing in a triangle, so people in Biancheng call it the "Chicken Claw Archway". There are 8 murals depicting Guan Yu's stories on the board under the archway. East and West Wings The eaves of the east and west wing houses, including the lintels, brackets, corbels, baffles, and vertical columns, are almost covered with wood carvings. The wood carvings are rich in content and cover a wide range of subjects, including mountains, rivers, trees, flowers, birds, insects, fish, pavilions, folk stories, and legends of characters. Bell and Drum Tower It is said among the people that ringing the bell can relieve worries, and the long ringing of the bell indicates that the gods exist forever, protecting all directions and bringing good luck and fortune. Main Hall There are seven layers of wood carvings under the eaves of the main hall, including bats, cloud-shaped openwork patterns, two dragons playing with pearls, auspicious birds and beasts, flowers and plants, and patterns. There is also a sand table behind the main hall, which contains a 1:1 restoration of the Qingming Shanghe Tu carved by Mr. Wang Guofa, the inheritor of Kaifeng wood carving intangible cultural heritage. The characters are also very vivid.