Liaocheng City sat on the west bank of the Grand Canal in ancient China. With its sophisticated traffic system both on land and water, the city was a communication center linking the south and the north since early times. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, merchants swarmed the city, and in 1743, Shanshan Assembly Hall was built jointly by merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. The hall then became a large-scale group of constructions.

Covering an area of 3,311 square meters, the assembly hall has over 160 halls and pavilions. The richly ornamented hall is green and gold with winged eaves. The construction is divided into two sections: the God Temple and assembly hall. In the front are constructions such as the mountain gate, opera tower, bell and drum towers, south and north viewing towers and stele pavilion; the back section includes the God Temple, Spring and Autumn Building, covered corridors and belvederes.

Sporadic carvings can be found with patterns of various figures, flowers, birds and beasts. The fine techniques used make these carvings elaborate works among the folk arts of the Qing Dynasty. Walls of the opera tower were inscribed with the handwriting of actors who performed there between 1845 and 1919, as well as texts from over 120 traditional operas, such as Peking Opera, Shanxi Bangzi and Hebei Bangzi. These texts are of high historical value in the study of local operas.