Quanjin Hall is located at 14 Zhangjia Lane, Pingjiang Road, Suzhou. It was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level by the State Council of China in 2006.
The Quanjin Hall, also known as Shanxi Hall, was originally established near Bantang Bridge at Shantang Street out of Changmen Gate of ancient Suzhou City by a group of merchants from Jin (or Shanxi Province) who did business and resided in Suzhou in the thirtieth year of the Reign of Emperor Qianlong (1765) in Qing Dynasty. The Hall was destroyed in the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng (1860) on account of turmoil. Then a new hall was constructed at the current site during a period from the fifth year of the Reign of Emperor Guangxu (1879) to the beginning years of Republic of China. Now the south-facing Hall covers an area of about 6,000 square meters and can be divided into middle, east and west parts.
The two-storey theater, with the ground floor being etiquette door and corridors, is composed of a north-facing outstretched stage, a horizontal back stage as wide as five compartments and two wing buildings in five rooms on both sides. The dome-shaped caisson on the top of the theater is about 3 meters in diameter and more than 2 meters high where the rotating decoration is made of 632 pieces of wood carving components connected by mortise and tenon. It is so resplendent and colorful, and has an effect in sound gathering. This stage is the most exquisite one among classical stages in Suzhou. Facing the theater is the main hall, whose podium platform is about 1.3 meters above the ground. The stretch of original hall was as large as five rooms with tiles atop the gable and hip roof. In January 1976 they were burned. The existing main hall was rebuilt after utilizing and modifying of the beam members of the original hall in the Lingjiu Temple in 1986, which was spacious and bright with single eave on gable and hip roof. On east parts, there lie four yards of buildings, all stretch as large as three rooms (successively gatehouses, halls, front and back chamber buildings), between which sits wing-room for connection. Now those halls and rooms are resided by civilians.
In October 1986, the Quanjin Hall was opened to the public as the Suzhou Opera Museum. There were special exhibition of Kunqu Opera, Pingtan, Suju Opera and folk musical instruments, as well as the classical theatrical stage, tea cum story-telling house typical of Qing Dynasty and performing lots. In November 2003, the Kunqu Opera Museum of China was officially set up in the Quanjin Hall.