Nanjing Alley Money House, A Glimpse into the Evolution of Currency

19, Nanjing Lane, Huaxilou Office, Qiaocheng District, Bozhou City, Anhui Province

Introduction

Bozhou has always been a commercial town throughout its history, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties when the financial industry thrived. With the development of the economy and foreign trade, merchants gathered and chambers of commerce emerged. By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were a total of 33 banks in the city. Among them, the Nanjing Lane Bank was established during the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty and was one of the earlier branches of the Shanxi "Pingyao Gang" ticket number in Anhui. Its business scope included deposits, loans, currency exchange, issuance and exchange of bills and banknotes, and other services, serving as the precursor to modern banks. The building of the Nanjing Lane Bank is a two-story, three-bay, and four-courtyard structure, with a rigorous layout and a blend of Chinese and Western elements. It is well-preserved and has high value for the study of ancient Chinese commercial buildings. Among the former bank locations in Bozhou, the Nanjing Lane Bank is the only one that is well-preserved and open to the public as a bank museum. During the Qing Dynasty, Bozhou had a dense network of roads in the city, with a saying that it had "72 major streets and 36 ancient lanes". The economic development of Bozhou relied on the shipping industry of the Wo River. The northern part of the city was mainly a commercial area, with buildings mostly featuring deep eaves and board doors in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and paved with stone strips. Among them, the most famous is Ba Bu Liu Tiao Street (also known as Shui Menguan Street). Although it is short and can be crossed in just eight steps, it connects six other streets with different styles, such as the Hat Shop Street, famous for selling hats during the Qing Dynasty, the White Cloth Street, which sold cloth, the Climb Son Alley, where bamboo climbing devices were sold, the Coal Yard Street, which sold coal, and Dezhen Street, which sold fresh fish. Today, Hat Shop Street mainly sells bamboo products, while White Cloth Street also engages in wholesale trade in general merchandise, and the others have become residential areas.

Address

19, Nanjing Lane, Huaxilou Office, Qiaocheng District, Bozhou City, Anhui Province

Opening hours

08:30-17:00 (all day)
last admission at 16:30 (Monday-Friday from January 1 to December 31) (all day)
(Saturday-Sunday from January 1 to December 31)

Phone 0558-5551349