Jiaying Meeting Hall, Historical meeting hall in Gusu District, China

Jiaying Meeting Hall is a historic building in Suzhou featuring wooden beam structures, tiled roofs, and carved decorative elements arranged according to traditional Chinese design principles. The interior spaces are organized with a central gathering area and smaller chambers around it for various functions.

Built between 1809 and 1813 under the Jiaqing emperor, the hall was financed by merchants from five counties of Jiaying Prefecture in Guangdong: Chengxiang, Xingning, Pingyuan, Changle and Zhenping. It was repaired in 1847 and again in 1904. Activities ceased in 1954, after which the building served for decades as a warehouse of the Suzhou Daily Necessities Company. In 2003 it was moved 10 metres east as a whole, and in 2007 the monk Shi Xingyun funded its restoration.

The name comes from Jiaying Prefecture in Guangdong, whose five counties—Chengxiang, Xingning, Pingyuan, Changle and Zhenping—funded the hall. Since 2007 it has housed the Jiaying Meeting Hall Art Museum, opened with funding from the monk Shi Xingyun, showing Chinese paintings and calligraphy.

The hall is located on Zaoshijie street near Xumen Gate in the city center and can be reached on foot or by public transportation. Check ahead for opening hours and guided tours, especially if you want to see specific exhibitions or cultural events.

The 18 stone tablets embedded in the walls of the side corridors beside the main hall record the hall's history and the names of its donors, but most are now badly damaged and hard to read. The whole building was moved 10 metres east in 2003.