Former Site of the Central Hospital

Former Site of the Central Hospital

The former site of the Central Hospital is a cultural heritage protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The former site of the Central Hospital is located at No. 205 Zhongshan East Road, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province.

It neighbors Zhongshan East Road to the south and Huangpu Road to the east, and currently serves as the visitor reception center of the Nanjing General Hospital of the Nanjing Military Command. The Central Hospital was a major masterpiece by the renowned architect Yang Tingbao in his early years and stands as one of the representative works of "new national form architecture" from the 1930s. In 1991, the Ministry of Construction and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage rated it as an outstanding modern building.

The predecessor of the Central Hospital was the Central Model Military Hospital, which began construction in January 1929. It was built under the orders of Chiang Kai-shek by Liu Ruiheng, then Minister of Health of the Nationalist Government, primarily to accommodate wounded soldiers and also to serve civilian patients. The hospital site was located at the intersection of Zhongshan East Road and Huangpu Road. At that time, 50 acres of land were requisitioned, 13 movable wooden buildings and medical equipment such as X-ray machines were purchased, and temporary beds for 300 patients were set up. The hospital opened on October 1, 1929. In January 1930, the Executive Yuan of the Nationalist Government decided to rename the Central Model Military Hospital as the Central Hospital. It was the largest and most well-equipped national hospital established in Nanjing during the Republican era.

The main building features a flat roof and a light yellow brick exterior, decorated with trellises, cornice walls, and drip edges. The entrance porch is proportionate and infused with traditional Chinese characteristics. Its appearance is based on the symmetrical composition of Western classical architecture, enhanced with decorative details and patterns bearing traditional Chinese motifs, highlighted by a group of small structures such as ceremonial columns, the guardhouse, and the porch. The entire façade is laid out in a "well" pattern, with the words "Central Hospital" inscribed above the entrance porch. The expanded Central Hospital added 16 departments including obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, urology, neurology, the nursing department, outpatient services, health care, and the pharmacy, employing 140 staff members.

On the eve of the Japanese capture of Nanjing, the Central Hospital buildings were severely damaged by bombings. When the Nationalist Government regained the original site on February 4, 1946, the hospital was left in ruins. After repairs and renovations, the Central Hospital had over 30 departments, more than 300 beds, and employed over 700 staff members, along with a significant amount of new medical equipment. In June 1950, the Central Hospital was reorganized as the East China Military Region Hospital. In 1955, it was renamed the Nanjing Military Region General Hospital. In 1986, it was again renamed the Nanjing General Hospital of the Nanjing Military Region, under the administration of the Health Department of the Logistics Department of the Nanjing Military Region.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units of Jiangsu Province