Former Site of the Russian Consulate in Yingkou

Former Site of the Russian Consulate in Yingkou

The former site of the Russian Consulate in Yingkou is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of the Russian Consulate in Yingkou is located in Wudamen Community, Batiandi Subdistrict Office, Zhanqian District, at the northwest corner of the campus of Yingkou Senior High School, where it currently serves as the school’s history museum.

The First Sino-Japanese War ended in China’s defeat, completely exposing the corruption and incompetence of the Qing Dynasty. After the war, imperialist powers rushed to “lease” harbors in China, carve out “spheres of influence,” establish factories, exploit mines, and flood the country with capital and goods. Yingkou was also among their “targets.”

The vigorous Boxer Rebellion of 1900 marked the peak of the anti-partition struggle. The movement was widespread in the northeastern region and dealt a heavy blow to imperialism. The Boxers insisted on resisting Russia and opposed the Qing Dynasty’s surrender, which greatly troubled the Qing rulers and alarmed Tsarist Russia. Taking the opportunity to suppress the Boxers, Tsarist Russia occupied Yingkou in 1900 and established a Civil Affairs Office. The building materials from the former Daotai government office and over 200 demolished rooms of the West Fort barracks were used to construct the office. It covered a floor area of nearly 700 square meters, stood 9.5 meters high, and featured a herringbone roof covered with iron tiles. The overall structure was a brick-stone-wood frame, showcasing a typical European single-story architectural style. At the northern end of the building was a domed second-floor structure, while the western side had an arched entrance made of solid and durable blue bricks, still well-preserved to this day.

The former site of the Russian Consulate (originally the Civil Affairs Office) in Yingkou features the style of an Orthodox church, complete with a tent-style roof and a Byzantine-style tower, combining freely and playfully with a slight hint of a toy-like church, exuding secular joy. The influence of the Art Nouveau movement can be seen in the wrought-iron rain canopy, hanging ornaments, and railing patterns. According to the Yingkou County Annals, a self-built consulate office was established in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, south of the Japanese Consulate. In the ninth year of the Republic of China, Russia’s consular privileges were terminated, and the office was consequently closed. S.V. Shkver served as the consul of this office.

In 1990, the Yingkou Municipal People’s Government designated the former site of the Russian Consulate in Yingkou as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit. In 2003, the Liaoning Provincial People’s Government (Liaozhengfa [2003] No. 12) listed it as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit. In 2013, the State Council (Guofa [2013] No. 13) declared the former site of the Russian Consulate in Yingkou a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The cultural relics protection scope and construction control zones announced by the Liaoning Provincial People’s Government (Liaozhengfa [2004] No. 34) are as follows: the protection zone extends 5 meters east, 8 meters south, 3 meters west, and 6 meters north from the outer base of the building’s exterior walls; the area within 15 meters outside the protection zone is classified as Category II construction control zone; and the area within 30 meters outside the Category II control zone is designated as Category III construction control zone.

Wudamen Community: Wudamen Community…… More details about Wudamen Community++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Liaoning Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units