Fulaerji Hongshunlong Store

A short walk from Hong'an Park along Fuxing Road brings visitors to the dark, solid masonry of the Fulaerji Hongshunlong Store. Constructed in 1928 by the merchant Wang Xiangting, the building features traditional black brick walls and a ridged tile roof supported by a classic brick-and-wood framework. In its early decades, this sixteen-by-twelve-meter space operated as a bustling department store, anchoring the commercial life of Fulaerji District. It remains the area's single surviving commercial firm from the Republic of China era, preserving the physical footprint of early twentieth-century prosperity.

The building now houses the China Seal Carving Art Museum, the country’s only professional institution dedicated to contemporary and historical seal carving. The transition from a center of local commerce to a sanctuary for ancient art feels remarkably natural. Inside the century-old walls, visitors examine seals and signets dating from the Warring States period through the Yuan Dynasty, alongside calligraphy from modern masters. The precise, deliberate carvings on the ancient seals mirror the careful craftsmanship of the 1928 architecture surrounding them. The Hongshunlong Store offers a quiet, reflective environment where the history of Chinese trade and the deep traditions of artisanal carving intersect.