Former Site of the Japanese Consulate in Suzhou

Former Site of the Japanese Consulate in Suzhou

The former site of the Japanese Consulate is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou.

The former site of the Japanese Consulate is located on Nanmen Road and was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou in 1991.

After the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government signed the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan, which designated Suzhou as one of the treaty ports. In the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (1897), the "Suzhou Japanese Concession Trade Regulations" were signed, designating 483.9 acres of land outside Qipan Gate in Suzhou’s Lü area as the Japanese concession. In the early days of the port’s opening, the Japanese consul resided in the city, but by the 28th year, a consulate was established within the concession. The current consulate building was constructed in 1925. In 1943, it was upgraded to a consulate general, and was abolished in 1945.

The main building of the consulate is a two-story Western-style structure with a brick-concrete frame, covering an area of 993 square meters, with a built-up area of 939.94 square meters. It features red tiles and bricks, granite plinths, and an asymmetrical layout. The main entrance faces east, with a semicircular parking platform in front that also serves as a balcony. There are entrances on the south, north, and west sides. The southern facade includes a corridor. Most windows are arched. The roof is divided into slopes facing different directions along the wall lines, and flat square chimneys rise from among them. Inside, the layout centers around a front hall, with offices arranged around it, and a corner staircase located to the west of the hall. A small basement lies just inside the west door. It currently serves as an office building for the factory management and remains well-preserved without alterations to its original appearance.

Aside from the main building, the remaining structures from the consulate era include two rows of single-story buildings to the west of the main building, and another row of single-story buildings to the north that were once used as guardhouses and detention rooms.