During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a large number of guildhalls emerged in China. Although guildhalls had limitations of exclusivity and local protection, they still played many roles in protecting their own interests, coordinating business, and dealing with competition from peers. Nanxun, which has Jili Lake silk famous all over the world, naturally also has a guildhall for the silk industry. Moreover, this guildhall has a significant background. It is an earlier and stronger trade guildhall among commercial organizations in Nanxun. The Nanxun Silk Industry Guildhall was originally called the Nanxun Silk Industry Institute. It was established in the spring of 1865 (the fourth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty) with the purpose of collecting and remitting taxes and safeguarding the interests of silk merchants. In 1916, the silk industry office was renamed the silk industry guild, also known as the silk industry guildhall. The hall of the guildhall is called ‘Duanyitang’ and is a beam-lifting wooden structure building. The roof is a hip roof with a height of 15 meters. The front four columns are whole rectangular stone bars, showing grandeur. The hall is simple and bright and can set up 54 tables for banquets. Every April, the guildhall holds the Silkworm King Festival here. Hundreds of silk industry practitioners in Nanxun town gather here to jointly worship the silkworm god, pray for prosperous silkworm farming, and wish for prosperous silk business every year.
