Early Buildings of Anshan Iron and Steel Plant

Early Buildings of Anshan Iron and Steel Plant

The early buildings of the Anshan Iron and Steel Plant are designated as Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

The industrial heritage complex of the Anshan Iron and Steel Plant is a crucial testament to Japanese imperialism’s plundering of China’s iron and steel resources and its economic aggression against China. It is the earliest, most completely preserved, and still-active industrial heritage cluster in China, as well as the most diverse in type. It stands as a classic example of contemporary Chinese iron and steel industry and holds significant historical, scientific, social, and artistic value. The main structures included in this national-level designation are the former site of the Showa Steel Works Head Office, the former site of the Showa Steel Works Guesthouse, the former site of the Jingjingliao Building, the former site of the Manchurian Public School, the former site of the Second Sintering Workshop of the Sintering Plant, and several other buildings.

The former site of the Showa Steel Works Head Office was built in 1933 and is commonly known as the “Big White Building.” The entire structure faces south and is built with a brick, stone, and concrete structure. It covers an area of approximately 1,900 square meters, with a floor area of 9,327 square meters. This building served as the office for the steel plant established by Japan in Anshan during its invasion of China, then referred to as the “Head Office.” During the Chinese Civil War, it functioned as the office building for the Kuomintang administration of the Anshan Iron and Steel Company. After the liberation, it continued to serve as the administrative office building for the Anshan Iron and Steel Company and remains in use to this day. It stands as a witness to Anshan’s liberation and the development of its iron and steel industry.

The Showa Steel Works Guesthouse was built in the 1930s. The building has an overall “⊥” shape, measuring 50 meters from east to west, 48 meters from north to south, and about 7 meters in height, with a floor area of 2,350 square meters. The building has two floors above ground and one underground, constructed with a brick-concrete structure. In the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, before the completion of the Dongshan Guesthouse, this building served as the residence for central leaders visiting the Anshan Iron and Steel Company. In 1986, it was officially converted into the Anshan Iron and Steel Retiree Affairs Office, used for activities for veteran cadres.

The former site of the Jingjingliao Building was completed in 1920 and was constructed by the “Tokyo Construction Company.” It covers an area of 3,163 square meters. The building features a Russian architectural style and is built with a brick-concrete structure. It was among the first staff dormitories built by the Japanese at that time, representing the high-quality craftsmanship of Japanese construction in the Northeast. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, it was taken over by the Kuomintang army. In February 1948, after the liberation of Anshan, it became the first staff dormitory of the Anshan Iron and Steel Company. In the 1990s, the site was turned into a mobile communication product market, known as the Wuyi Road Mobile Phone Market.

The former site of the Manchurian Public School was initially built in 1925 as a two-story Russian-style brick-concrete building. The structure runs from east to west, with a floor area of 2,600 square meters. Most of the interior finishes used solid wood, including wooden floors and handrails, with a red pine roof. After its completion, the Japanese used the building successively as a hospital, a “public school” operated by the Japanese, and a barracks for the Japanese artillery unit. In the late 1960s, after multiple renovations, its original appearance was preserved. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it served as a shared office space for the old Anshan Construction Company and the Furnace Construction Company. In 1957, the building became the office of the Sintering Plant of the Anshan Iron and Steel Company. In 2002, the Anshan Iron and Steel Security Department (People's Armed Forces Department) moved into the building, where it remains to this day.

The former site of the Second Sintering Workshop of the Sintering Plant was built in 1955, covering an area of 4,300 square meters, with the design provided by the Soviet Union. In 2000, the Anshan Iron and Steel Sintering Plant merged with the Anshan Iron and Steel Ironmaking Plant to form the Anshan Iron and Steel Ironmaking General Plant. In the spring of that year, while constructing the new Second Sintering Workshop on the foundation of the beneficiation workshop, a cast iron plaque from Japan bearing the year “Taisho 13” (1924 AD) was discovered embedded in the outer north wall of the main building of the beneficiation workshop. On July 9, 2013, the Anshan Iron and Steel Group transformed the Second Sintering Workshop building—while retaining its original framework and equipment—into the current Anshan Iron and Steel Group Museum by merging it with the old No. 1 Blast Furnace of the Anshan Iron Works. The museum still retains major equipment and facilities from the original Second Sintering Workshop, such as the No. 4 sintering machine and bridge cranes.

On October 7, 2019, the early buildings of the Anshan Iron and Steel Plant were included in the eighth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level