Page 56 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Shan-Shaan Guild Hall on Great Tea Route

Figure 8. Religious heritage on Xiguan Street. Source: Drawing by Yixin Wang based on the field research and the historical map.

there were 26 markets across the County, operating role in facilitating trade. Goods transported along
6,300 market days annually and generating a trading the Camel Trail included tea (60 – 70% of the total),
volume of ¥73.3 million yuan. Xiguan Street also hosted tobacco , cotton , pottery , silk, and jade. This bustling
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a daily food market (Jia County Local Historiography commercial street, centered around the guild hall, was a
Compilation Committee, 1996). testament to the economic prosperity of Xiguan Street
Residents recalled that Xiguan Street once included a over the centuries.
beef and mutton market, flour and cooking oil processing Residents also attribute the sweetness of tea in Jia
factories, and a variety of businesses monopolized by County to the high quality of the water used for brewing.
Shanxi-Shaanxi merchants. These businesses included According to staff from the Department of Culture and
private banks, pawnshops, and dye houses, along with Tourism, this water originated from Qinglong Lake,
the trade of goods such as silk, tobacco, wine, grain, dried which flows west of the guild hall. Inside the guild
fruit, groceries, medicine, tea, and salt (Cheng, 2010). hall, a hexagonal wooden Tea Pavilion (built in 1934)
In addition to the regular bazaar, temple fairs brought provided free tea to passing merchants and pedestrians.

significant commercial activities to the areas. These fairs This pavilion symbolized the guild hall’s importance as
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were held on February 3 , March 7 , April 15 , August 3 , a commercial center in Jia County with a constant flow
rd
th
rd
th
and October 10 (Committee, 1996). of merchants (Figure 9). Unfortunately, the tea pavilion
th
According to interviews, three large camel yards was burned down by the Japanese army, and today,
provided provisions and stabling for merchants’ camel only a commemorative plaque remains in the guild
caravans arriving from across the country. These 12 Tobacco cultivation in Jia country began during the Tianqi
camel yards were located on both sides of the road era (1621–1627) of the Ming dynasty. By the Qianlong era
in front of the guild hall and included the Sun family of the Qing dynasty, it had developed into a significant
Camel Courtyard (孙家骆驼院), the Ma Family Camel economic product (Jia County Local Historiography
Courtyard (马家骆驼院), and the Pan Family Camel Compilation Committee, 1996).
Courtyard (潘家骆驼院) (Figure 9). This road became 13 Jia county is rich in cotton. Following traditional practices,
known as the Camel Trail (骆驼道) due to its critical rural women spin and weave cotton products, which are
used for their own households and sold in markets and
11 Traditional temple fair activities in Jia country primarily towns (Guo & Jiang, 1975).
revolve around worship, entertaining and rewarding the 14 In the past, official kilns in Juntai town and Huangdao
deities, and the trade of daily ritual objects and household town (Jia County Local Historiography Compilation
goods (Li, 2002). Committee, 1996).

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4582