A lodge conceived in Shanghai
Thirty-one petitioners formally sought permission to establish the lodge on November 22 in Shanghai, choosing a name that means friendship.
Shanghai to Taipei ・ 上海至台北
A lodge shaped by renewal.
Amity Lodge’s history is part of the wider story of modern Freemasonry in China—from Lodge No. 106 in Shanghai to Lodge No. 1 in Taipei.
Our history ・ 我們的歷史
Four documented milestones.
The timeline combines published jurisdictional histories with an early lodge record preserved in the Amity collection.
Chartered as Amity Lodge No. 106
The Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands granted the charter on January 27. Primarily composed of Chinese members, Amity Lodge No. 106 became an important center from which lodges spread to other Chinese cities.
A founding lodge of a new jurisdiction
Delegates met in Shanghai in January to organize the Grand Lodge of China, which was consecrated on March 18. Six constituent lodges received new numbers, with Amity becoming Lodge No. 1.
Light renewed in Taiwan
After the jurisdiction moved from mainland China through Hong Kong to Taipei, it was officially registered in Taiwan. Amity Lodge No. 1 was then reactivated in Taipei and resumed its work.
The wider story ・ 歷史背景
From foreign jurisdictions to a Chinese Grand Lodge.
Early Masonry in China
The lodge record traces organized Freemasonry on the Chinese mainland to 1767, when an earlier and unrelated Amity Lodge No. 407 was established under the Grand Lodge of England. Lodge Elizabeth followed in Canton in 1788. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, English, Scottish, Irish, Massachusetts, and other jurisdictions established lodges in Canton, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tientsin, and Peking. Most of these early lodges served European communities and admitted few Chinese members.
Archival record, pp. 3–4A lodge led by Chinese members
Against that background, the establishment of Amity Lodge No. 106 in Shanghai in 1931 marked a significant change. Chartered by the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands on January 27, it was primarily composed of Chinese members. The record associates its growth with the later formation of lodges in Nanking, Canton, Chengtu, Hangchow, and Shanghai.
Archival record, pp. 4–5The Grand Lodge of China
On January 15, 1949, delegates from lodges working under the Philippine and Massachusetts jurisdictions met in Shanghai to organize a Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of China. Representatives of the English, Scottish, and Irish constitutions attended as observers. The new Grand Lodge was consecrated on March 18, and its six constituent lodges were renumbered: Amity became Lodge No. 1.
Archival record, pp. 5–7Continuity in Taiwan
Political change forced many Chinese Masons to leave mainland China between 1949 and 1953. The Grand Lodge moved temporarily through Hong Kong before establishing itself in Taipei. Its constitution and by-laws were completed in 1954, official registration in Taiwan followed in 1955, and Amity Lodge No. 1 was reactivated in Taipei. The same record notes that a Masonic Temple was erected in Taipei in 1963.
Archival record, pp. 8–9Source: “A Short History of Freemasonry in China,” in Amity Lodge No. 1 Year Book 1967, pp. 3–10. The article states that it was reproduced and updated from the Proceedings of the M.W. Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of China, 1958–1959.
The lodge in detail ・ 分會紀事
Shanghai, dispersal, and renewal in Taipei.
The 1967 year book preserves a more detailed account of Amity's own development, adapted from a “Know Your Lodge” lecture delivered at the 151st Stated Meeting in 1966.
Thirty-one petitioners
On November 22, thirty-one men petitioned to establish the present lodge in Shanghai. The year book records their names, preserving a direct link to the lodge's founding generation.
Charter and consecration
Amity Lodge No. 106 received its charter under the Philippine jurisdiction on January 27 and was consecrated on May 25. Its stated meetings were held on the second Tuesday of each month at Museum Road in Shanghai.
The wartime interruption
Lodge activity ceased during the Second World War. Work resumed afterward, and in 1949 the former Lodge No. 106 became Amity Lodge No. 1 under the newly established Grand Lodge of China.
A membership dispersed
A roster dated June 30, 1950 recorded 180 members. As members left Shanghai, known addresses extended across Taipei, Hong Kong, the United States, Manila, and Bangkok. The last stated meeting in Shanghai was held on March 13, 1951, after which the lodge again entered darkness.
Reactivated in Taiwan
Petitioners first gathered at the YMCA in Taipei on February 8. At the first stated meeting on February 18, sixteen members affiliated with the renewed lodge. Meetings were set for the third Friday of each month—a pattern that continues in Amity's present schedule.
A permanent home
Before the Masonic Temple was completed, stated meetings moved among several Taipei venues. The year book records that the lodge began meeting at the Temple following completion of its construction on March 7, 1963.
Source: “Amity Lodge No. 1, F. & A.M. — History,” in Amity Lodge No. 1 Year Book 1967, pp. 20–24. The article was adapted and updated from Hank Chuang's “Know Your Lodge” lecture, delivered at the 151st Stated Meeting on October 20, 1966.
From Lodge No. 106 under the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands to Lodge No. 1 under the Grand Lodge of China.
From the archive ・ 歷史文獻
The lodge story, preserved on paper.
A yearbook and stated-meeting notices offer a direct view of Amity Lodge life in Taipei during the 1960s and 1970s.
Original documents photographed from the Amity Lodge collection. Images retain the documents' natural wear and typography.
Lodge collection ・ 分會館藏
Objects that carry the story forward.
Books, gifts, banners, and commemorative objects preserve a tangible record of lodge life and its connections across time and place.
Photographed from the Amity Lodge collection. Backgrounds, lighting, and perspective were refined for presentation; inscriptions and signs of age were retained.
Sources ・ 資料來源
Published lodge records.
01Amity Lodge No. 1 profileGrand Lodge of China02History of the jurisdictionGrand Lodge of China03Amity Lodge No. 106 archiveGrand Lodge of the Philippines
04
Amity Lodge No. 1 Year Book 1967“A Short History of Freemasonry in China” ・ pp. 3–10
The year book article states that it was reproduced and updated from the Grand Lodge of China Proceedings, 1958–1959.
05
Amity Lodge No. 1 Year Book 1967“Amity Lodge No. 1 — History” ・ pp. 20–24
Adapted and updated from Hank Chuang's “Know Your Lodge” lecture at the 151st Stated Meeting, October 20, 1966.