Former Site of Tianjin Lishunde Hotel

Former Site of Tianjin Lishunde Hotel

The former site of Tianjin Lishunde Hotel is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of Tianjin Lishunde Hotel is located on Jiefang North Road in Heping District, Tianjin, and was China’s first hotel serving foreign guests. Established in the second year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1863 AD), it features a British classical-style brick-and-wood architecture. Initially a single-story building, it was later expanded into two structures. The 《Sino-Danish Treaty》 (1863) and the 《Sino-Dutch Treaty》 (1863) were both signed here. This hotel was also among the first in China to use telephone and telegraph equipment.

With its warm-toned façade, neatly arranged red umbrellas, and European classical architectural style, Lishunde presents a distinctly international charm. It is an international four-star standard hotel, situated at No. 199 Jiefang North Road and No. 33 Taierzhuang Road in Heping District, Tianjin. Adjacent to the scenic Haihe River on one side and the traditionally styled Victoria Park from the former British Concession on the other, it stands as one of the few surviving mid-19th century buildings in Tianjin’s former concession area. In 1996, Tianjin Lishunde Hotel was listed in the fourth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units. It is the only hotel in China to hold such a designation and has been recognized by the Tianjin Municipal Government as a historically protected architectural landmark of special grade.

Tianjin Lishunde Grand Hotel was the city’s first foreign-funded grand hotel and played a significant role as a diplomatic hub in modern history. Embassies of countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Japan were once located within the hotel. Numerous important treaties between China and Western nations were signed here. Distinguished figures such as Sun Yat-sen, U.S. President Herbert Hoover, British King Edward VIII, Charlie Chaplin, and Mei Lanfang have all stayed or resided here... A century of historical events unfolds before your eyes.

Stepping into the lobby of the old Lishunde Hotel feels like a journey back to the 19th century, where the fleeting figures of political dignitaries, warlords, and celebrities once strode through. The antique furnishings within quietly preserve the essence of an era and the spirit of a city. Ascending the century-old staircase, one encounters portraits of legendary figures who once stayed here, hanging along the walls. Yellowed photographs and rooms once inhabited by notables such as Li Hongzhang, the hotel’s founder John Innocent, Li Yuanhong, and Xu Shichang transport visitors into a corridor of history, steeped in nostalgia and the turbulence of time.

Next to Lishunde’s iconic elevator, the former warehouse has been transformed into a museum that houses all the precious relics and archives from the hotel’s 147-year history. These include China’s earliest electric lights, telephones, elevators, and mechanical calculators, as well as the first-rank peacock feather hat ornament bestowed by Empress Dowager Cixi to early shareholders, a gramophone used by Emperor Puyi to enjoy music, a piano played by Soong Ching-ling, and a rare golden Buddha statue from Tibetan Buddhism. The museum also displays ornate Renaissance-style carved benches from Italy, among many other artifacts that vividly depict the ambiance of Tianjin’s concession period.

Rather than just being a grand hotel, “Lishunde” is more akin to a historical museum. Having weathered a century of change and accumulated a century of culture, it possesses an extraordinary allure.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units