佛山南海西樵江浦西路官山墟大众街13号
Good Virtue Hall located in Guanshan within Xiqiao Town of Nanhai County, a pivotal district in the silk industry over the last century. Notably, China’s first mechanized silk reeling factory, Ji-Chang-Long Textile, was situated just 5 kilometres away. During the 1920s, the peak period for silk industrialization, Guanshan alone hosted seven steam filatures, the highest number in the whole county.
The architectural style was in some ways consistent with typical 19th-century Cantonese residential buildings: constructed of wood and a gray-colored breathable brick mixed from riverbed silt; a gabled, tiled roof; a central courtyard surrounded on four sides.
The procedure of joining this Gupouk operated on a buy-in system. Typically, the Comb Sisters, concerning for their future welfare, while they were still young and actively working, would proactively secure a place in a Gupouk. Upon securing their spots, many ventured out for employment. As they transitioned into retirement, they would relocate to their Gupouk, choosing to spend their later years in the companionship of other “sisters”.
Historically, records indicate that over 300 Comb Sisters purchased slots in Good Virtue Hall, with more than 100 of them having resided there at different times altogether. At its peak, the hall likely housed over 40 women concurrently.
“Over the years, with some members leaving and new ones joining, the hall became the final destination in the turbulent lives of these women.”
