Page 57 - JCAU-7-2

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

Figure 9. Trade heritage related to the Great Tea Route on Xiguan Street. Yellow areas represent trade heritage primarily serving traveling merchants, while
blue areas indicate heritage serving the local population. Source: Drawing by the author based on the field research and the map provided by the Ministry
of Housing and Construction in Jia County.

hall. Historical records indicate that the pavilion was red stones , stretched from the guild hall to the Xiguan
15
established to commemorate Zhang Sanquan (张三铨), a Mosque. Unfortunately, according to the oral histories,
County magistrate who donated funds for disaster relief the River south of the guild hall was diverted in 2008, and
in the 2 year (1911) of the Xuantong era (1909 – 1912). the red rocks along the road were removed and lost. The
nd
presence of these red rocks suggests that the current River
5.2. Intangible heritage characteristics channel was originally a road. In ancient times, this road
The complexity of cultural routes transforms them into was lower than the surrounding ground, making it difficult
significant manifestations of cultural heritage, combining for pedestrians above to see merchants traveling along
tangible and intangible elements while emphasizing the it or discern whether they carried large sums of money.
central role of human interaction (Martorell Carreño, This design served as a safety measure, deterring robbery
Alberto, 2003). The intercultural dynamics, interactions, and burglary. In addition, the locals referred to this road
and evolution of links between the cultures along the as a “ditch” (gou; 沟) in traditional provincial language,
Great Tea Route and the local traditions of Jia County underscoring its unique structural features.
highlight the diversity of cultural heritage and the 5.2.2. Religious culture
broader significance of the Great Tea Route as a cultural
pathway. As mentioned earlier, Xiguan Street, which extended from
the west gate of the historical town to the Shanxi-Shaanxi
5.2.1. Trade and commerce culture
In the land transport section of the Great Tea Route, the 15 According to semi-structural interviews, the red stone used
culture of horse caravans and camel caravans emerged to to pave the Camel Trail were sourced from Ziyun mountain
(紫云山), located in the southeast of Jia county, Henan
meet the demand for transporting goods (Jiang, 2022). province, China. The striped red stone used to reinforce
The camel caravan culture is evident not only in the the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall building were also querried
numerous camel courtyards that once existed but also from this mountain. Since the reign of Emperor Shunzhi,
in the Camel Trail south of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild the imperial court had extracted red stones from Ziyun
Hall. This 10-m-wide and 500-m-long road, paved with mountain for construction purposes (Guo & Jiang, 1975).

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4582