Former Site of Fuchang Hotel

Former Site of Fuchang Hotel

The former site of Fuchang Hotel is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Fuchang Hotel was the tallest hotel in Nanjing during the Republican era. It is a renowned "time-honored brand" in the city. In 1932, it was jointly funded by the prominent Zhejiang businessman Ding Fucheng and his brothers, in partnership with a German trading company, and constructed in Xinjiekou, Nanjing. The name, meaning “blessings across the land, prosperity in all directions,” reflects its ambitious vision. It officially opened in 1935 after construction and quickly became a sensation in Nanjing. After 1945, the building was used as a club for high-ranking officers of the Kuomintang army. In 1952, the Nanjing municipal government took over the building, placing it under the management of the city’s social liaison office. In 1966, the building was briefly renamed “Victory Hotel.” In 1993, it resumed its original name, with the signage calligraphed by the famous artist Yu Tianchi. Notable figures such as Huang Yanpei, Hua Luogeng, Puyi, Pujie, Du Yuming, and even visitors from Luxembourg have stayed here, all giving high praise. Currently, the property is managed by Nanjing Central Hotel and is well known for serving “Republican-era cuisine.” In 2006, the building was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site by the municipal government.

The Fuchang Hotel (Former Fuchang Hotel), designed by the renowned architect Chen Zhunan from the Shanghai Design Institute, was constructed by Huagai Architects and built by Shunyuan Construction Company. Completed in 1933, the six-story building faces east, features a brick-concrete structure, covers a land area of 248 square meters, and has a floor space of 1,687 square meters. Built in a Western architectural style, it cost 2.5 million taels of silver at the time. Its layout was designed to fit the existing terrain, taking on a trapezoidal form that faces the street. Vertical lines formed by a combination of steel windows and walls give the building a tall, simple, and clean impression. It stands as one of the representative works of 1930s Western modernist architecture.

Ding Fucheng (1897–1966), a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, was a well-known Chinese national entrepreneur in the modern era. During the Republican period, Ding Fucheng and his brothers ran the Fuchang Trading Firm in Nanjing and partnered with Germans to build the Fuchang Hotel.

On December 19, 2011, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province listed it as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural heritage sites.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites