Building of the Prefectural Magistrate's Office

Building of the Prefectural Magistrate's Office

The Building of the Prefectural Magistrate's Office in Yanji is located on Shuguang Lane, Guanghua Road, Henan Street, north of the People's Government of the Prefecture. It was first built in the late years of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. It is said to have been the south building of the Frontier Affairs Supervisory Office established in the first year of the Xuantong reign (1909). In June of the same year, the Qing court abolished the post of Vice Commander of Hunchun and set up the Southeastern Military Defense Office of Jilin, relocating it to Yanji. In February 1910, the Frontier Affairs Office was abolished. In February 1913, the office of the prefectural magistrate was changed to the Southeastern Road Observation Office. In June 1914, the Observation Office was further renamed as the Prefectural Magistrate's Office of Yanji, which remained in place until the office was abolished in 1929. The south building served successively as the office of the prefectural magistrate, the observation office, and the Prefectural Magistrate's Office. Because it functioned as the Prefectural Magistrate's Office for 16 years, it is commonly referred to as the Prefectural Magistrate's Building. It is also called the “Frontier Affairs Supervisory Office Building,” and some refer to it as the “Frontier Defense Building.” However, some research suggests that the “Frontier Defense Building” actually refers to the Zhen Dong Tower (also known as the Wang Hai Tower) in Hunchun. In 1983, this site was listed as a key municipal-level cultural heritage preservation unit.