Former Site of the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce

Former Site of the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce

The Former Site of the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Former Site of the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce is located at 73 Boxian Road, in the western part of the city. It was constructed in 1929 by Mr. Lu Xiaobo using 40,000 yuan from the 200,000 yuan repaid to the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce by the Northern Expeditionary Army. The building covers an area of approximately 1,891 square meters, and is built with a brick-and-wood structure of stacked blue bricks. It consists of 78.5 rooms and features a three-story design. The whole structure is rectangular in shape. The main entrance faces south, and a large additional gate was built on the eastern side facing the street. The southern gate tower features a Western-style façade with eight square brick pillars. The central gate projects outward, and the arched brick doorway is adorned with concentric decorative bands that recede inward toward the top. The arch rests on round white stone columns, and the gate is topped with a horizontally mounted white stone plaque engraved with the four large characters “Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce,” bearing the signature “Inscribed by Yu Youren.” The interior follows a traditional Chinese three-courtyard layout. The first courtyard includes corridors and a central courtyard. The middle section features a large hall with a three-bay width, facing south and decorated with traditional Chinese lattice doors. On either side are wing rooms, most of which have wooden pillars, terrazzo floors, and flat ceilings. The second courtyard has a single-story section in the front and a two-story building at the rear. The third courtyard is accessed via a passageway through the eastern gate, leading to a staircase and a central courtyard with a three-story building connected to the second courtyard via corridors. The roof is covered with flat tiles and has a gentle slope. The whole building reflects a fusion of Chinese and Western architectural styles. The northern part of the building once housed the Zhenjiang Branch of the Central Bank. During the Anti-Japanese War, the chamber of commerce was occupied by the Japanese military police. After Japan's surrender, it was repurposed as the Sunan Branch of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Today, the building serves as the office of the Zhenjiang Federation of Industry and Commerce.

The Former Site of the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce is a representative example of the modern architecture along Boxian Road and a masterpiece of architecture from the Republican era. It stands as a testimony to the long and prosperous history of Zhenjiang's banking and business sectors. It is also a commemorative structure dedicated to the renowned patriotic industrialist and national figure Lu Xiaobo. At the time, Lu served as the president of the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce and was a close friend of Comrade Chen Yi. After Chen Yi became Vice Premier, he made a special trip to Zhenjiang to visit him. Experts in Jiangsu’s cultural relics architecture consider the Zhenjiang Chamber of Commerce building to hold a status among China’s chamber buildings as “unique in Jiangsu and rare nationwide.” In 2006, it was designated as a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province