The centurial year old pawnshop of Guangzhou. (nddaily.com)

An ancient building that used to be a pawnshop during the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) will soon be turned into Guangdong's first pawnshop museum, said officials of the Yuexiu District Government.

The over-one-century-old building, located at No 1, Zhongshan Si Lu, is over 20 meters high with four Chinese Characters of ancient style - Dong Ping Da Ya. "Dong Ping" was the name of the pawnshop and "Da Ya" means pawnshop.

Currently, the plan for turning the ancient building into a museum is being created and needs to be approved by the relevant government departments and specialists in archeology. In terms of the plan, each floor of the building will be turned into a theme exhibition hall, introducing the history of pawn-poking and the development of this industry in the future. Officials said that the museum will become a new attraction in Guangzhou and will be open for free to visitors.

The centurial year old pawnshop of Guangzhou. (nfdaily.cn)