Former Site of the U.S. Embassy in Nanjing

Former Site of the U.S. Embassy in Nanjing

The former site of the U.S. Embassy in Nanjing is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of the U.S. Embassy to the "Republic of China" in Nanjing is located at No. 33 Xikang Road, Nanjing (originally No. 18 Xikang Road), and currently serves as a guesthouse for Jiangsu provincial government offices. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, the U.S. Embassy relocated from Chongqing to Nanjing in April 1946. As the United States played the role of a mediator between the opposing Nationalist and Communist forces, the U.S. Embassy thus became a focal point of global attention.

In September 1936, the U.S. government appointed Nelson T. Johnson as the first U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to China. Before the war, the U.S. Embassy was located at No. 82 Shanghai Road. After the victory of the War of Resistance, in July 1946, the U.S. government appointed John Leighton Stuart as ambassador, replacing Johnson. The embassy was then moved to Xikang Road, with the former Shanghai Road premises converted into an information office.

The U.S. Embassy complex on Xikang Road consists of three identically designed, equally sized Western-style buildings and three Western-style bungalows, built along the contours of the hillside. Constructed in 1946, the three main buildings are apartment-style structures with brick-and-stone construction, two stories high, plus a basement level. Each building has a floor area of 936 square meters. The central front facade features a portico and balcony, with a hip roof and chimneys on both sides of the ridge and at the rear used for heating. The floor plan is concave-shaped, with the ground floor’s front and sides serving as living corridors, the middle section housing the living room and offices, and the rear section containing the kitchen and dining room. Bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the upper floor, while the basement houses the boiler room and storage areas.

The three bungalows are located behind each of the main buildings and served as residences for staff and servants. Each bungalow has a floor area of 96 square meters, with brick-and-wood construction, lath-and-plaster ceilings, and standard wooden flooring.

On April 23, 1949, Nanjing was liberated. On February 18, 1950, the last U.S. diplomat in Nanjing, Bacon, left for the United States.

In 1992, the former site of the U.S. Embassy was designated as a cultural relics protection unit of Nanjing.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) listed the former site of the U.S. Embassy in Nanjing as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units