Page 59 - JCAU-7-2

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

Table 1. Methods of exploring the value connotation of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall and Xiguan Street
Theme Content Archival Research Field Research Oral History
The relationship between Location of the Shanxi- The traffic center of the Great Tea Located outside The reason why it is located
the Great Tea Route and Shaanxi Guild Hall in Route; transformation from a folk the west gate of the outside the west gate of the
Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall in Jia County hall to an official post station; historic town historical town
Jia County, Henan Province, located outside the west gate of the
China historical town
History of the Shanxi- The relationship between the fate of
Shaanxi Guild Hall in the guild hall and the rise and fall of
Jia County the Great Tea Route
The characteristics of Shanxi- Tangible heritage Important nodes of the ancient Lushan Lane and Lushan Lane and Huangdao
Shaanxi Guild Hall from the characteristics Wanluo Road; Lushan Lane and Huangdao Lane; Lane; the foundation of the pillar
perspective of the Great Tea Huangdao Lane; the Main Hall used the position of the was removed and discarded
Route to have a porch; there used to have base of the columns during a previous renovation
an east yard; mosque; Camel Trail; of the building is project; may have an east yard;
the source area of the red stone still recognizable; Daoist Temple, Buddhist Temple,
Buddhist Temple; red and mosque; camel courtyard;
stone mill; Camel Trail
Intangible Heritage Name of the troupe and Facilities for the opera Origin of the name Camel Trail;
Characteristics performance time of the performance reasons for changes in eating
performance habits; the time, place, and cost
of the opera performance

Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall, Xiguan Street, and the Great more Hui people and stimulated commerce and trade
Tea Route. These methods corroborate and expand the in Jia County’s Xiguan area. According to corroborated
value of the connotation of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall, documentary records and field research, the Shanxi-
as summarized in Table 1. By employing a community- Shaanxi Guild Hall played a central role in this economic
centered approach and incorporating multiple narratives, ecosystem. Hui merchants sold beef and mutton at
the heritage site emerges as a vessel rich in social and West Street markets to local restaurants, whose owners
cultural values (Smith, 2020). reinvested their profits in sponsoring opera troupes. These
6. Discussion troupes performed at the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall,
drawing more consumers to the markets and sustaining
For a historic route to be classified as a cultural route, it the commercial chain.
must have facilitated exchanges of people, goods, ideas, The most direct impact of the Great Tea Route was
knowledge, and values over a significant period of time the exchange of goods. It significantly increased Chinese
(Genovese, 2016). As an important architectural heritage
site of the Great Tea Road, the Jia County Shanxi-Shaanxi tea exports, making tea a central commodity in China’s
Guild Hall not only witnesses commercial prosperity but foreign trade. From 1817 to 1833, just before the Opium
also creates a dynamic dialogue of ecocultural exchange, War, tea generally accounted for over 50% of China’s export
blending the cultures along the Great Tea Route with the value (Huang & Ping, 2020). In addition to tea, caravans
local traditions of Jia County. transported silk, fruits, and gold and silver utensils from
the western regions. Jia County, situated in the fertile
Route heritage tells the story of how diverse groups of Central Plains, used the Great Tea Route to export locally
people, through trade and migration, forged a collective produced goods, such as cotton, tobacco, grain, and
identity (Sigley, 2021). Since the Yuan dynasty (1279 – distinctive pottery, to distant markets.
1368), Henan has hosted Hui communities, which grew
significantly during the Ming and Qing dynasties (Hu, The architectural complex of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild
2005) . The prosperity of the Great Tea Route attracted Hall embodies the ingenuity of Shanxi-Shaanxi merchants
17
and the craftsmanship of Jia County. The Shanxi-Shaanxi
17 The Hui are known for their business acumen; however, merchants strategically chose to build their guild hall
they were historically prohibited from living within the city
proper. As a result, they often settled along the city’s main outside the city’s western gate, prioritizing convenience
traffic routes (chengguan; 城关). This strategic choice not and efficiency. Its symmetrical north-south axis and
only addressed their housing needs but also facilitated their three-courtyard structure were inspired by the traditional
commercial activities. (Hu, 2005). residential courtyard style in Shanxi. This design not only

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 12 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4582