Xiqin Guild Hall (Zigong Salt Industry History Museum)
西秦会馆
A guild hall built in the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty by Shaanxi salt merchants, with upturned eaves and exquisite wood and stone carvings. It now houses the Zigong Salt Industry History Museum.
Xiqin Guild Hall is located on Jiefang Road in Ziliujing District. In 1736, the first year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, Shaanxi merchants who ran the salt business in Zigong funded its construction. It is also known as the Temple of the Martial Saint, dedicated to Guan Yu. It was expanded during the Daoguang period and is a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit. The complex is built along a central axis: the Gate of the Temple of the Martial Saint, the Xianji Tower, the Great Man Hall and the Canopy Tower. The most striking feature is the main gate, a four-storey building with double eaves and dozens of upturned corners, layered upon one another. Beneath the eaves and along the columns are intricate wood and stone carvings with themes including Three Kingdoms stories, opera characters, and flowers and birds. It is considered a masterpiece of guild hall architecture from the Qing dynasty. Since 1959, it has been the Zigong Municipal Salt Industry History Museum, which presents two thousand years of well-salt history through drilling tools, bamboo brine buckets, models of ancient salt wells, and salt industry contracts and documents. It helps explain how Zigong became the “Salt Capital.” Tickets start at about RMB 35 (prices subject to on-site announcement). Getting there: it is located in the city centre, and you can walk to the Fuxi River and Wangye Temple. Note: open flames are strictly forbidden in the wooden structures, and do not touch the carved surfaces.
Opening hours
About 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Wangye Temple
- Huanhou Palace
- Zigong Lantern Park & China Lantern Museum
- Shenhai Salt Well
- Zigong Dinosaur Museum
- Fantawild Dinosaur Kingdom
- Zigong Chinese Lantern World
- Jiang Jie's Hometown