Former Site of the Yingkou Branch of Butterfield & Swire Steamship Company

Former Site of the Yingkou Branch of Butterfield & Swire Steamship Company

The former site of the Yingkou branch of Butterfield & Swire Steamship Company is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Liaoning Province.

The former site of the Yingkou branch of Butterfield & Swire Steamship Company is located in the Liaohe Community under the Victory Subdistrict Office of the West District. Situated along Houheyan in Yingkou City and to the west of the Yingkou Daily newspaper office, this British-owned dock was primarily engaged in shipping and insurance operations, bearing authentic witness to the influx of foreign capital following Yingkou’s opening as a port.

Constructed in 1890, the former site of the Yingkou branch of Butterfield & Swire Steamship Company is a building erected and used by the British, with all materials shipped from the UK by sea. The entire structure is built with red bricks, making it a rather unique example among foreign-built edifices in China at the time. Its roof features Western classical cornices, while the lower parts of the eaves integrated into the wall use prefabricated concrete components. The upper overhanging eaves are made from prefabricated reinforced concrete eave panels. Below the eave panels are corbels, each 0.2 meters wide, with 0.2-meter gaps between them — a highly meticulous design. Major outbound cargo mainly included soybeans, soybean oil, and soybean cakes, while return shipments carried smaller items such as cotton yarn and daily necessities. Since the freight tonnage of inbound and outbound goods could not be fully balanced, these prefabricated concrete eave blocks, prefabricated reinforced concrete eave panels, and large quantities of red bricks were used as ballast and shipped from the UK.

In 2004, the Yingkou Real Estate Economic Development Company transferred the ownership of the former site of Butterfield & Swire Steamship Company to the Yingkou Municipal Bureau of Culture. In 2005, it was entrusted to Xie Qiyi, a private entrepreneur from Dashiqiao City, for maintenance, management, and use.

In 1990, the Yingkou Municipal People’s Government designated the former site of the Yingkou branch of Butterfield & Swire Steamship Company as a municipal-level cultural heritage conservation unit. In 2008, the People’s Government of Liaoning Province (Liaozhengfa [2008] No. 18) declared it a provincial-level cultural heritage conservation unit. The scope of cultural heritage protection and construction control zone announced by the People’s Government of Liaoning Province (Liaozhengfa [2010] No. 11) is as follows: the protected area extends 10 meters east and west from the outer base of the main wall of the original building, 15.8 meters south to the northern roadside stone of Binhe Avenue, and 20 meters north to within the railing of the southern bank of the Liao River. The area within 30 meters outside the protected zone is classified as a Category III construction control zone. In 2004, the Yingkou Real Estate Economic Development Company transferred the ownership to the Yingkou Municipal Bureau of Culture.

Protected Area: Extending 10 meters east and west from the outer base of the main wall of the original building, 15.8 meters south to the northern roadside stone of Binhe Avenue, and 20 meters north to within the railing of the southern bank of the Liao River.

Construction Control Zone: The area within 30 meters outside the protected zone is classified as a Category III construction control zone.

Source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism. Contributor: Dong Wenjie

Liaohe Community: Liaohe Community…… More details about Liaohe Community++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Heritage Conservation Units of Liaoning Province