Former Site of the Provincial Governor’s Office

Former Site of the Provincial Governor’s Office

The Former Site of the Provincial Governor’s Office is a cultural tourism attraction.

Former Site of the Provincial Governor’s Office

Located at No. 20 Shuyuan Lane, it was designated as a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1982 and is currently under the protection and management of the Health School.

The Provincial Governor’s Office, also known as the Office of the Provincial Censor-in-Chief or the Governor’s Office for short, was established starting in the Ming Dynasty as the highest local administrative post, and in the Qing Dynasty it officially became the provincial-level local0 chief executive, overseeing military affairs, civil administration, and criminal justice within the province. In the fifth year of the Ming Xuande era (1430), the Yingtian Provincial Governor was appointed, stationed in Suzhou Prefecture, governing the southern Yangtze region of Nan Zhili and Anqing Prefecture to the north. In the sixth year of the Qing Kangxi reign (1667), Jiangsu Province was established, and in the 25th year of the Qianlong reign (1760), the post of Jiangsu Provincial Governor was created, exclusively overseeing Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Zhenjiang prefectures, and Taicang Directly-Controlled State, still based in Suzhou Prefecture. It was abolished after the Xinhai Revolution.

The former site of the Provincial Governor’s Office was originally the location of Heshan Academy, which was converted into an official yamen during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty. From the establishment of the Provincial Governor in the Ming Xuande era to the end of the Qing Dynasty, over a span of 480 years, many notable officials served here, including Zhou Chen, Hai Rui, Tang Bin, Liang Zhangju, Zhang Boxing, and Lin Zexu. Lin Zexu served here for about five years, achieving remarkable political accomplishments and earning deep affection from the people. The last Provincial Governor, Cheng Dequan, driven by revolutionary forces, declared Jiangsu’s independence from the Qing court here, playing a certain role in contributing to the collapse of the Qing0 dynasty.

The original scale of the Provincial Governor’s Office was very large. The surviving structures, rebuilt in the fifth year of the Qing Tongzhi era (1866), include the main gate, ceremonial gate, rear hall, and rear building. The original main hall was demolished in 1980. The main gate features a flush-gable roof, is five bays wide (23 meters), and 10 meters deep.