Former Site of the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office

Former Site of the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office

The Former Site of the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner’s Office is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner’s Office is located at No. 170 Daoqian Street in the ancient city of Suzhou. It is a Suzhou municipal-level controlled and protected building. Constructed in the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty, the office was headed by the Surveillance Commissioner, a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, also known as the Nietai, whose position was only below that of the Governor (Futai) and the Provincial Administration Commissioner (Daotai). In March of the third year of the Daoguang reign (1823), Lin Zexu came to Suzhou to take up the post of Jiangsu Surveillance Commissioner at the age of 39. During the Republic of China period, the office was occupied by the Jiangsu High Court, where the “Seven Gentlemen” of the National Salvation Movement once fought against the authorities. In recent years, the site has been renovated and is now used and maintained by municipal government departments.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the southwestern part of Suzhou City was an important area for government offices. In the early Ming Dynasty, the Provincial Water Conservancy Sub-Bureau was established here. In the 14th year of the Hongzhi reign (1501), it was converted into the Surveillance Sub-Bureau, which later specialized in military preparedness, becoming known as the Military Defense Bureau — the origin of the name Daoqian Street. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Military Defense Bureau moved to Taicang. In the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign, the Jiangsu Surveillance Commissioner’s Office relocated from Jiangning to Suzhou, repurposing the former Military Defense Bureau site into the Surveillance Commissioner’s Tribunal, commonly called the Nietai, responsible for judicial and penal affairs within the province. It was destroyed by war in the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign (1860), but was rebuilt in the 6th year of the Tongzhi reign (1867) by Governor Guo Baoyin. During the Republic of China period, it served as the Jiangsu High Court. From December 1936 to July 1937, the sensational “Seven Gentlemen” incident of the Shanghai National Salvation Federation took place here. In the early years after liberation, it housed the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government. In the 1980s, the main hall and surrounding corridors were demolished and replaced with new buildings, which then accommodated municipal bureaus such as textiles, materials, electronics, chemicals, and environmental protection.

The surviving structures of the former site mainly consist of the Second Hall and the Inner Residence in the northern section, both five bays wide with flush-gable roofs, connected by a covered corridor with a rolled shed roof. Since its reconstruction in the late Qing Dynasty, the former Surveillance Commissioner’s Office had fallen into severe disrepair and was nearly collapsed. The Suzhou Personnel Bureau raised RMB 5 million to renovate the main gate, screen wall, Second Hall, Inner Residence, and surrounding corridors, restoring the former dignity of the government office and adding a touch of historic charm to Suzhou’s streetscape.

On June 5, 2006, the Former Site of the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner’s Office was designated as part of the sixth batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units