Fengjing Firefighting Memorial Tower and East District Fire Brigade

Fengjing Firefighting Memorial Tower and East District Fire Brigade

The Fengjing Firefighting Memorial Tower and East District Fire Brigade are designated as municipal cultural heritage sites of Shanghai.

In 1926, the Firefighting Federation constructed the memorial tower to honor voluntary firefighters who had died in the line of duty. Standing 7 meters tall, the tower is inscribed with “Memorial Tower for Deceased Comrades of the Songshan Fengjing Firefighting Federation Across Successive Terms.” It features a drum-shaped top decorated with four rings and displays the emblem of the firefighting federation below. This is the only well-preserved firefighting historical memorial tower in the suburbs of Shanghai. On May 11, 2000, it was designated as a district-level cultural heritage site of Jinshan District. In 2014, along with the East District Fire Brigade, it was listed as a municipal-level cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

The firefighting memorial tower was listed as a district-level cultural heritage site of Jinshan in 2002 and as a municipal-level cultural heritage site in 2014.

The original building of the fire brigade was modified from an ordinary residential house. Influenced by the architectural style of fire stations in Shanghai’s concession areas at the time, its façade was redesigned in Western style. Push open the red door, and you’ll see several pieces of vintage firefighting equipment displayed in the hall. These include the hand-operated pump known as the “foreign dragon,” which emerged in the early 20th century, the mechanical “pump” used before the War of Resistance in 1937, and the wheeled fire engine that was in use after 1950.

It was originally called the “Dragon King Hall” (also known as the Fire Brigade), symbolizing the sea dragon king’s power over fire. Additional fire stations were set up under the South Town’s Shengtang Bridge and the North Town’s Taoyuan Pond. Basic equipment such as hoses, wooden pumps, and water buckets were purchased with donations from local merchants and wealthy gentry. All firefighters were volunteers, selected from shops and workshops. When a fire broke out, neighbors would sound the alarm by beating gongs, and firefighters would grab their gear from the station and rush to the scene. In 1923, the southern and northern towns of Fengjing established a unified Fire Brigade Federation. The headquarters was located at Taoyuan Pond, with eight branch stations strategically placed at Beifeng Bridge, Beizha, Dongzha, Shengtang Bridge, Yongchang Bridge, and Chenting. The federation had over 200 volunteer firefighters. Firefighting equipment also improved, with intake hoses made of canvas and rubber directly drawing water from the river.

In 2014, the Fengjing Firefighting Memorial Tower and East District Fire Brigade were designated as municipal-level cultural heritage sites.