Former Site of the French Club

Former Site of the French Club

The former site of the French Club is a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin.

The former site of the French Club is located at No. 29 Jiefang North Road, Heping District. It is a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin and is classified as a historically significant building under key municipal protection.

The original French Club, also known as the French Ballroom, was funded and built in 1931 by the French Municipal Council. It housed a bar, small theater, dance hall, billiards room, globe room, lounge, and more. The backyard originally featured an open-air stage, small plaza, and garden, offering comprehensive functionality. Additionally, the French Chamber of Commerce was located here, serving as a venue for French merchants to gather and conduct business discussions.

The building covers an area of approximately 7,000 square meters, with a construction area of about 2,900 square meters. Its main structure is a single-story brick-concrete building with a semi-basement. The corner of the street features a chamfered design, with an elaborately designed gate set into the angled wall. This gate is quite ornate, featuring vertical golden lines that taper inward, and is fitted with an intricately designed metal gate adorned with openwork floral patterns, giving it a magnificent and opulent appearance. The architectural style is simple yet impactful, with well-proportioned dimensions and minimal but refined and delicate decorations—embodying the characteristics of the nascent modern architectural movement. Today, the former site of the French Club has been transformed into the Tianjin Finance Museum. Let’s take a look at what’s inside the museum~

Upon your first visit to the Tianjin Finance Museum, you’ll see a wall covered with Chinese characters. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that all these characters contain the radical “贝” (shell). In ancient times, shells were used as currency, so any Chinese character containing “贝” is generally related to money in some way—and money can be considered the carrier of finance.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Tianjin