The grand performance stage is where Fujian merchants watched the regional operas.

The magnificent red Sanshan Guild Hall for Fujian fruit merchants is being restored to its early grandeur, including the enormous gilded hall, theater stage and statue of sea goddess Mazu, Shanghai Daily reported.

Guild halls have been magnets for business, worship, socializing and the arts since ancient times in commerce-driven Shanghai, which once had more than 130 guild halls.

One of the most famous and magnificent in Shanghai is the two-story red-brick Sanshan Guild Hall for fruit merchants from coastal Fujian Province in southern China.

The grand hall on Zhongshan Road S. under Nanpu Bridge has been undergoing major renovations since June. Work on the nearly 100-year-old building will be completed by the end of the month. It has been open throughout the facelift.

The repairs are part of conservation efforts in advance of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, themed "Better City, Better Life," in which preserving urban heritage is a key issue.

The renovation restores the main building, including the great hall, shrine to sea goddess Mazu and a spectacular performance stage, to their original magnificence and emphasizes authenticity. The project cost around 2 million yuan (US$286,000) 27 tons of paint and 17 cubic meters of wood have been used.

"In order to restore the original appearance, old materials have been sought from around the country," says Wang Shuming, from the guild hall administration, who is in charge of the renovation project.

"We even asked for particular materials, such as special paint from other cities, like Suzhou in Jiangsu Province," he says.

After the renovation finishes, the Shanghai Guild Hall History Exhibition Hall will be built next door which features the history of many guilds.

Built in 1909, the 1,000-square-meter structure is one of the few preserved guild halls open to the public as a tourism site. It was technically "protected" since 1959, but in serious need of repairs in 1986 and again today. At one time it was occupied by a middle school and primary school. Only the main building remains adjacent buildings for traders were not preserved.

The guild hall was constructed over five years in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) by fruit dealers from Fujian. It was where they gathered, did business, watched opera and worshipped Mazu, protector of fishermen, traders and those who lived near the sea. A statue of the goddess was placed on an altar in the inner hall, and offerings were placed before her.

The guild hall's name "Sanshan" means three mountains and refers to Jiuxian, Ximin and Beiyuewang mountains in Fujian Province. The hall is also called "Tian Hou Gong," as Tian Hou refers to Mazu. Both names are carved over the entrance.

The old hall features Fujian-style architecture and is enclosed with a 10-meter-high red-brick wall. Inside the hall is a large square entrance courtyard, left simple and not decorated with plants. A heavy double door faced with iron opens to the inner hall. The iron was to prevent fires from spreading.

The inner hall features a breathtaking opera stage with seats on either side and a gallery on the second floor. Just imagine spectators watching local opera, chatting, drinking tea and eating - the audience was seldom silent.

The space opposite the stage is left vacant, as in old times.

"In old China, even opera performances should respect the gods, so the area opposite the stage was not occupied - a space in remembrance of the gods - and the audience could only sit on either side," explains Wang.

The opulent inner hall behind the stage is imposing. Supporting pillars are carved, painted in bright colors and gilded, as are the ceiling and beams. Dragons, birds, fishes and flowers abound.

"Ancient buildings and decoration are very complicated and highly intelligent," says Wang. "Painting alone has around 30 steps. Before painting the wooden roof, a piece of linen is placed on it, then painted over. This is to prevent the wood from cracking."

Repairs are being carried out in the old craftsman-like ways, he says.

The Sanshan Guild Hall was also a historic site in modern China. During the three armed insurrections of Shanghai workers during 1926 and 1927, the guild hall was a meeting place for the Communist Party of China. Party leader Zhou Enlai (1898-1976) once met workers in the hall.

In the 1940s, Sanshan Middle School and Bamin Primary School were established in the hall. The middle school was closed in 1952 and the primary school closed in 1979.

"This time, the repair and reconstruction covers almost all the details, including decorations," says Wang.

Sanshan Guild Hall
Address: 1551 Zhongshan Road South, Shanghai

(Shanghai Daily November 24, 2008)