Zhejiang Fujian Meeting Hall - Historical Background

Historical Background

The city of Jinan has been one of the major transportation and trading centers in the north of China for long time, particularly so after the Yellow River shifted its bed to the immediate north of the city in 1852. As a consequence, traders from other regions of China came to Jinan and established their businesses there. Groups of traders from the same home region set up meeting halls in order to make themselves feel at home, provide a convenient location for their business activities, foster collaboration among themselves, and protect their common business interests. In total, Jinan had more than 10 meeting halls for traders from regions over the country. Over the years most of these buildings were either converted to serve other purposes, deteriorated, or were torn down. The meeting hall of the traders from Zhejiang (abbreviated as "Zhe" (浙) in the hall's Chinese name) and Fujian (abbreviated as "Min" (闽) in the hall's Chinese name) is the last existing meeting hall in Jinan. It was established in 1873 during the late Qing Dynasty by a trader from Fujian who also held a government office. Since losing its function as a meeting hall, the building has been used as a boarding house, a morgue, as storage for old books (1960's) and as a factory building (1970's). The building was declared a key historical site by the City of Jinan in 1979. On October 16, 2007, the renovated hall was reopen as a center where senior citizens can practice arts such as calligraphy and painting.