Trade guilds and regional guilds have the same characteristics.

The common feature of trade associations and regional associations is comparison.

Trade associations and regional associations have the same comparative characteristics. Clubs are divided into two categories: professional clubs and regional clubs.

Trade clubs are established by trade businessmen, such as salt clubs, cloth clubs and money clubs. Local guilds were established by fellow villagers living abroad, such as Jiangxi Guild, Fujian Guild, Hunan Guild, Shanxi Guild and Guangdong Guild.

Guild hall buildings and ancestral halls have a common feature, that is, the tendency to compare with each other. Ancestral hall is a comparison between families, and guild hall is a comparison between merchant groups or local forces.

This psychological tendency to keep up with the joneses urges the buildings of the guild hall to be more magnificent. For example, Xiqin Guild Hall in Zigong, Sichuan Province was built by Shanxi salt merchants, with magnificent architectural modeling and gorgeous decorative arts, which can be said to be the best in the country.

Shanxi merchants in Qing Dynasty were the most powerful merchant groups in China. Judging from the hall buildings preserved all over the country, almost the largest and most magnificent halls are owned by Shanxi merchants or Shanxi merchants. For example, Shanshan Guild Hall in Sheqi, Henan, Shanshan Guild Hall in Zhoukou, Henan, and Shanshan Guild Hall in Bozhou, Anhui.

There are sacrifices in the hall. Trade guilds offer sacrifices to industry ancestors. For example, in the mud and wood construction industry, Luban is the ancestor, and the guild hall is called "Lubantang". The medicine industry sacrifices to Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, and the hall is called "Sun Zudian"; Slaughtering is dedicated to Zhang Fei, and the guild hall is often called "Zhangfei Temple".