Former Site of Yokohama Specie Bank Dalian Branch

Former Site of Yokohama Specie Bank Dalian Branch

The former site of Yokohama Specie Bank Dalian Branch is a cultural heritage protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The former site of Yokohama Specie Bank Dalian Branch is located at No. 9 Zhongshan Square, Zhongshan District. On June 28, 2013, it was included in the fifth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in Dalian.

On November 5, 2015, the former site of Yokohama Specie Bank Dalian Branch was announced by the Dalian Municipal Government as one of the first batch of key protected buildings in Dalian. This building is located at No. 9 Zhongshan Square, flanked by Shanghai Road and Minsheng Street on either side. Among them, Shanghai Road connects Victory Bridge with Zhongshan Square. The building was constructed in 1909, with a floor area of 2,804 square meters. It was conceptually designed by Japanese architect Tatsuno Kingo, and the detailed design was completed by his disciple, Ōta Tsuyoshi. The architectural style is late European Renaissance. The building façade is divided into five sections, with the window lintels designed as broken pediments. The most distinctive feature is the three green circular domes on the central and end roofs—large in the middle and smaller on the sides—with a unique shape. From afar, they look like three green torches glowing in mid-air. During the Japanese occupation, it served as the operating building of Yokohama Specie Bank Dalian Branch. Yokohama Specie Bank was an early Japanese foreign exchange specialist bank and a major financial institution used by Japanese imperialism for economic aggression against China. Relevant records indicate that after 1945, it housed the Soviet Far East Bank. In the 1990s, a fire broke out in the building, destroying the original wooden roof and domes, which were later restored to their original appearance but rebuilt using steel structures. In 2005, a new office building was constructed behind the old structure, with part of the original rear wall demolished and integrated into the new building. However, apart from that, the original historic building has been largely preserved in its original form and now houses the Bank of China Zhongshan Square Branch.

Yokohama Specie Bank was established in 1880 (the sixth year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign) in Yokohama, Japan, primarily dealing in foreign exchange and discounting. In 1893, it opened a branch in Shanghai, followed by additional branches in Hong Kong, Tianjin, Niuzhuang, Beijing, Dalian, Shenyang, Hankou, Kaiyuan, Changchun, Harbin, Qingdao, Jinan, Guangzhou, and other locations. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, its branches in China were taken over and liquidated by banks designated by the Kuomintang government. The Yokohama headquarters was reorganized in 1945 and renamed Tokyo Bank.

Protected Area: The protection zone includes the outer base of the main exterior walls of the building, extending 5 meters to the east, south, and west, and the outer base of the main exterior walls to the north.

Construction Control Zone: None.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Dalian