Monday, August 26, 2013

The Heguang Guild Hall

Our internship wraps up this week, and we've been trying to cram in a lot of last-minute sightseeing before our departure. On Thursday we say goodbye to Western China, heading to Hong Kong and then Beijing. I'm going to try to post some short, picture-heavy updates in the next few days so I'll be all caught up before we leave!

We visited the Heguang Guild Hall when Tony and Jenni were in town. This site is pretty impressive in it's scale, and even more so because it's inconspicuously tucked away into high-rises on the southern edge of the Yuzhong peninsula. Built during the Qing dynasty, the complex now houses several different structures along with a museum documenting the history of immigration to the Chongqing region (unfortunately, entirely in Mandarin). Some of the buildings date back to the late 18th century, but have been restored more recently. The buildings on this site serve as a great example of some of the varieties of traditional Chinese architecture.

Here are a some pictures from the Guild Hall:

Tucked into the high rises, nestled below the bridge.
Dragon sculpted railings, adorned with colorful ribbon.
Entrance into the temple on the Guild Hall complex. 
Traditional Chinese lanterns 
Some re-creations of scenes from back in the day.
Different style building; same site.
I want a door-knocker like this!
New/old. 
Gardens on the site. 
All the elements that define Chongqing: bridges, mountains, rooftops. 
Some more dragon sculpture!

No comments: