The Qianye Guildhall is located at No. 10 Zhanchuan Street, not far from the east entrance of Ningbo city. In the third year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, the money industry’s organizational form was known as the Qianye Huoshang Office, which was situated in the Jiangxia area near the Binjiang Temple and was once destroyed by war. It was later funded and rebuilt by the money exchange industry in 1862. The guildhall faces south, consisting of three successive buildings including a stage, pavilions, and a combination of Chinese and Western brick and wood structure architecture. It covers an area of 1521.5 square meters with a construction area of approximately 1150 square meters. Inside, there are three stone tablets that describe the development of the financial industry and the history of the construction of the guildhall. By 1923, due to the insufficiency of the original office, the money exchange industry purchased the ‘Pingjin Association’ building and land on what is now Zhanchuan Street to build a new guildhall, which is the Qianye Guildhall we see today, completed in 1926. It was the venue for gatherings and transactions in Ningbo’s financial industry in the past. Qianye Guildhall is a symbol of the former glory of Ningbo’s money exchange industry, which began in the early Qing Dynasty. According to ‘Yin County General Record’, Ningbo’s finance was centered around money exchange shops. At its peak, there were 36 major shops with capital over 60,000 yuan, more than 30 minor shops with capital over 10,000 yuan, and over 4,000 exchange shops with a few hundred yuan, with its influence surpassing Shanghai (loans reaching 30 million yuan). By 1931, the county’s money exchange industry had developed to 160 shops with a total capital of 386.6 million yuan. The prosperity of the financial industry is a sign of economic development and prosperity. At that time, there was a saying, ‘You can travel the world but not surpass Ningbo Jiangxia,’ which was enough to illustrate the economic prosperity and pride of Ningbo at that time. The venue is open all year round from 08:30 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 16:30, with specific business status subject to the day’s opening conditions.
Qianye Guildhall
The Qianye Guildhall is located at No. 10 Zhanchuan Street, not far from the east entrance of Ningbo[...]
