Former Site of the Life-Saving Society

Former Site of the Life-Saving Society

The former site of the Life-Saving Society is a protected cultural relic unit of Jiangsu Province.

The former site of the Life-Saving Society is located in the ancient Xijin Ferry Street in the western urban area of Zhenjiang. In the 42nd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1703), fifteen individuals from Jingkou—including Jiang Yuannai, Zhu Yongzai, and Jiang Shangzhong—encouraged the local community to donate funds in order to rescue those involved in riverboat accidents. They collectively contributed a certain amount of silver, and the “Jingkou Life-Saving Society” was founded at the Guanyin Pavilion in Xijin Ferry. In the 47th year of the Kangxi reign (1708), the society purchased the former site of the Yaogong Temple at Zhaoguan on Xijin Ferry, constructing a three-room building to serve as their headquarters, which remains the current site. The street-facing section of the old site is a two-story brick-and-wood structure, with a stone plaque inscribed with the words “Life-Saving Society” above the main entrance, erected in the 21st year of the Guangxu reign (1895). To the north lies a courtyard and connecting corridors.

The Life-Saving Society was an ancient social welfare organization dedicated to rescuing various types of vessels and people crossing rivers. The Jingkou Life-Saving Society specialized in salvaging sunken ships and lifesaving operations on the river, and its influence extended throughout the regions north and south of the Yangtze River. Provinces such as Jiangxi, Hubei, and Anhui followed the example of the Jingkou Life-Saving Society, building red lifeboats and implementing lifesaving measures. After its establishment, the society remained active for as long as 200 years, marking both a miracle in China’s maritime lifesaving history and in the realm of ancient private charity. The Jingkou Life-Saving Society predates the Massachusetts Humane Society—the earliest such organization in the United States—by 84 years, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom by 188 years, making it the world’s earliest life-saving organization. It holds significant historical and scientific value. In 2011, it was jointly designated as a protected cultural relic unit of Jiangsu Province, along with the newly excavated small dock (lifesaving dock).

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Protected Cultural Relic Units of Jiangsu Province