Beijing's guilds enter golden era

Renovated historical buildings find new life as cultural centers and theaters, offering visitors a glimpse of the past, Chen Nan reports.

Tucked away in a hutong area in downtown Beijing, the Huguang Huiguan, or the Huguang Guild Hall, a complex of buildings over 200 years old, is in the process of being reborn.

After over a year of renovations, it is finally ready to reopen as a theater for performances of traditional Chinese operas, among them Peking, Kunqu and Yueju opera.

The Huguang Guild Hall dates back to 1807 and was built by Liu Quanzhi, a scholar from Changsha in Hunan province, and Li Junjian, a government official from Huanggang in Hubei province. It originally functioned as a cultural, business, and social center, and served the increasing number of people from the two provinces living in the capital.