In the bustling old city of Tianjin hides a remarkably Lingnan-style ancient building—the Guangdong Guild Hall. It is the most completely preserved, largest, and most exquisitely decorated Qing-dynasty guild hall building in Tianjin, bearing witness to many important events in modern Chinese history and carrying precious memories of the united front: Sun Yat-sen visited the Tianjin Guangdong Guild Hall twice and once delivered a speech there; Deng Yingchao and other members of the Awakening Society once staged charity performances here to raise funds...

Tianjin Guangdong Guild Hall

　　Recently, "Tongzhan Xinyu" paid a field visit to the Tianjin Guangdong Guild Hall. Completed in 1907 and built with funds raised by Guangdong merchants of the time, it was a native-place guild hall where Cantonese in Tianjin conducted business negotiations and gathered for entertainment. Today, it is not only a palace of culture and art but also one of the memorial sites of important revolutionary activities in modern Tianjin.

The plaque reading "Linghai Zhuhui"

　　Pushing open the guild hall's heavy doors feels like traveling back to the magnificent era of a century ago. The grey bricks and tiles exude an ancient charm, and the plaque inscribed with the four characters "Linghai Zhuhui" glitters in the sunlight.

　　Stepping further inside, past the courtyard, one reaches the main structure of the Guangdong Guild Hall—the theater. It boasts a grand layout, carved beams and painted rafters, and a classical elegance. Once, revolutionary pioneers spread progressive ideas here, and countless celebrated performers took to this stage. Strolling through the theater, it is easy to imagine the bustling, lively scenes of the past, as if impassioned speeches and melodious arias still echo.

The stage of the Guangdong Guild Hall

　　It is worth noting that Dr. Sun Yat-sen had an indissoluble bond with the Tianjin Guangdong Guild Hall. In 1912, the great national hero, great patriot, and great pioneer of China's democratic revolution traveled north to Tianjin for the second time, visiting the Guangdong Guild Hall and delivering a speech in which he expounded on the ideas of revitalizing industry, developing the economy, unifying the North and the South, fostering republican ideals, and rejuvenating China. His arrival made the Guangdong Guild Hall an important venue for democratic revolutionary activities and added a special historical significance to this building.

Statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen

　　On August 24, 1912, at the invitation of Liao Xinghun, a member of the Tongmenghui, fellow Cantonese natives, people from all walks of life, and the Tongmenghui branch held a welcome rally at the Guangdong Guild Hall to greet Sun Yat-sen. More than 800 attendees were present, filled with enthusiasm.

　　On the stage of the Guangdong Guild Hall, Sun Yat-sen delivered an impassioned speech: "Since our country established a republic, it has had only the name but not the reality, and the danger is even greater than under the autocratic era. Friendly nations that love us offer support and protection in many ways, while those who resent us find fault at every turn and take pleasure in our misfortunes. I hope that revolutionaries at this time, even more than when overthrowing autocracy, will sacrifice everything and exert a thousandfold effort to jointly pursue construction. I especially hope that our four hundred million compatriots will work together, so that in a few years the Republic of China will become a first-class power on earth. Moreover, if European and American powers with millions of people can be strong, then with our four hundred million compatriots working with one heart, how could China not become a leader in the world?" The entire audience was instantly roused to great excitement.

　　On September 23 of the same year, Dr. Sun Yat-sen met with the directors, encouraging them to strive to serve the country, and then expressed his thanks to all fellow natives. More than 6,000 people attended, applauding and cheering, their voices resounding to the skies.

List of donors for the founding of the Guangdong Guild Hall

　　During the May Fourth Movement in 1919, when a drought struck northern China, Deng Yingchao and other members of the Awakening Society, then studying at the Zhili ** Women's Normal School, staged charity performances with passionate zeal to raise funds. They wrote, directed, and performed plays such as "The Grief of a Fallen Nation" and "Mulan Joins the Army" here to raise money for disaster relief. From the May Fourth Movement of 1919 to the May Thirtieth Movement of 1925, the Guangdong Guild Hall remained an important venue for revolutionary activities in Tianjin.

　　On August 4, 1925, more than twenty trade union organizations in Tianjin—including textile, carpet, railway, printing, paint, and seamen's unions—held a congress at the Guangdong Guild Hall, adopted the "Charter of the Tianjin General Trade Union," and proclaimed the official founding of the Tianjin General Trade Union. Thereafter, the General Trade Union organized the textile workers' "Smash Yuda" struggle and published newspapers and periodicals such as "Workers' Tabloid" and "Workers' Struggle," powerfully advancing the revolutionary movement and writing a glorious chapter in the history of the Chinese workers' movement.

　　In addition, the Guangdong Guild Hall was once an important venue for the anti-Japanese national salvation movement. Many patriots held lectures, performances, and other activities here to spread the ideas of resisting Japan and saving the nation, arousing the people's anti-Japanese fervor. It can be said that the Guangdong Guild Hall witnessed the vicissitudes of modern and contemporary Chinese history and also witnessed the development of China's united front.

　　Today, the Guangdong Guild Hall has become a platform for strengthening the ideological and political guidance of united front members. In March 2022, the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang designated it as an education base for RCCK members. Here, RCCK members draw strength for moving forward from the glorious deeds of their predecessors.

　　"In 1992, to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Tianjin No. 9 Middle School next to the Guangdong Guild Hall was renamed 'Zhongshan Middle School,' and a statue of Sun Yat-sen was erected in commemoration," introduced the person in charge of the Tianjin Guangdong Guild Hall. In the new era, the guild hall still holds important significance for the united front. Here, various cultural activities, exhibitions, and performances not only promote exchanges and cooperation among different regions, ethnic groups, social strata, and communities, but also serve as an important vehicle for inheriting and promoting fine traditional Chinese culture, enhancing the cultural confidence and national cohesion of the broad masses.

　　Stepping into the Tianjin Guangdong Guild Hall, let us listen together to the echoes of history, trace the red memories, feel the revolutionary spirit, and gather strength to forge ahead.