Ancient Charm of Banyan City: Exploring the Yongde Guild Hall in Shangxia Hang

Along the middle section of Sanjie River in Shangxia Hang, Taijiang District of Fuzhou, stands a quiet building of blue bricks and gray tiles. This south-facing Yongde Guild Hall, with its magnificent 1,224 square meters, fuses Fujian's natural landscape with Western elegance into an amber of time. Pushing open the vermilion doors adorned with gilt plaques, one can almost hear the echoing sounds of abacus beads from Yongchun and Dehua merchants harmonizing with the boating songs of the Min River from three centuries ago. The guild hall originated during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, when the smoke from Dehua porcelain kilns and mist from Yongchun tea mountains merged with the rippling waters under Xing'an Bridge flowing into the Min River. Merchants from both counties established the "Yongde Hall Association" here, shipping Dehua white porcelain and Yongchun lacquered baskets to Southern ports. Renovations during the Guangxu period added intricate details to the eaves, while the 1931 reconstruction harmoniously combined Baroque columns with traditional hip roofs—Western-style trusses supporting the three-story building's traditional single eaves, Gothic arches hidden beneath the horse-head walls, resembling enamel colors blooming on Dehua porcelain bodies, showcasing the Maritime Silk Road's East-West fusion. The side rooms flanking the main hall conceal merchants' codes: the eastern wing's single room served as a meeting hall, the western wing's four rooms as a place for fellow townsmen to rest, with the nine-pillar, eight-room layout symbolizing the commercial philosophy of "returning to one from ninety-nine." In those days, merchant ships sailed upstream from Shuikou Town along the Dazhang River, transporting loads of "China White" porcelain through here, then proceeding via Santong Bridge to Mawei Port before riding seasonal winds to Singapore and Penang. Mr. Lin Qingshan's description of the "magnificent and splendid architecture" can still be glimpsed today in the carved bird-replacing brackets and painted caisson ceilings. As time passed, the guild hall experienced various guardians—from Taijiang District's Housing Management Bureau to the rhythmic looms of a mat factory and the roaring of an auto modification plant—before finally being reborn in 2018. Craftsmen meticulously removed dust with embroidery-like precision, restoring faded paintings to their original luster and straightening tilted beams and pillars. In winter 2020, when the restored gilt plaques once again reflected the warm sunlight, this commercial monument emerged with a new cultural tourism identity—"touring Three Mountain Lane by day, staying at Yongde Hall by night"—telling the legendary story of "no market without Yong(chun)." Today, the small river in front of the guild hall still reflects the silhouette of the saddleback walls. Visitors follow in the footsteps of Dehua porcelain merchants, climbing up to the second-floor viewing platform to overlook the bustling life of Shangxia Hang, as if witnessing the past glory of gathered merchant ships and snow-white porcelain. This building, which has frozen time, continues to write the story of mountain and sea friendship behind the characters "Yongde" in new ways.