Shanxi Association

Shanxi Guild Hall is located in the southwest of Duolun City. It was built in the tenth year of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1745) with funds raised by Shanxi merchants from Mongolia. The purpose of building the museum is to facilitate communication with fellow villagers in Shanxi, and to provide a place to stay for the villagers who have just come here. Shanxi Guild Hall is a relatively well-preserved ancient building complex of Qing Dynasty in Duolun Old Town, with a history of more than 250 years. The guild hall faces south and can be roughly divided into accommodation area, entertainment area, business meeting area and Guandi Temple. In front of the gate of the guild hall, there is a tall archway with carved beams and painted buildings, which shows the wealth of Shanxi merchants. The Grand Theater is a "star" building of the guild hall. This big theater is all made of square strips of stone, which happens to be a "convex" shape. There are thick pillars on the stage supporting the front half of the theater, and the front eaves like bird's beaks at the four corners of the roof slantingly pierce the sky. At its southeast corner, there is a bright mirror hanging on it, facing northwest, which can reflect the Shanyin Temple several miles away. According to archaeologists, there are only two in China that use this form of building structure. The entertainment area of the guild hall is mainly centered on this big theater. Every year on May 13th, the stage begins to sing, and it sings until the weather cools after autumn. During the Duolun Temple Fair on June 15, the performances in the hall often reach their climax. There will be performances for a few days around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and there are naturally many kinds of operas that are not sung by Shanxi Bangzi.