Wangdian Granary Complex

Wangdian Granary Complex

The Wangdian Granary Complex is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Wangdian Granary Complex is located on the east bank of Changshuitang, at No. 13 Tangdong Street, Sixi Community, Wangdian Town, Xiuzhou District. Built in the 1950s, it covers an area of over 5,700 square meters, with a built-up area of approximately 1,583 square meters. The granaries are arranged in three parallel rows running from west to east, slightly offset and equally spaced, totaling 14 structures. All are composite-style Soviet-inspired granaries that combine house-style and vertical silos.

“The existence of the Wangdian Granary Complex directly reflects the interdependent rise and fall of Jiaxing and the Grand Canal,” said a relevant official from the Xiuzhou District Culture and Tourism Bureau. Jiaxing is a nationally renowned grain-producing region. In the past, grain transport relied heavily on waterways, so many granaries were built along the canal. Among them, the Wangdian Granary Complex is located on the banks of Changshuitang, an important tributary of the Jiaxing section of the Grand Canal, serving as a key facility for centralized storage and transit of grain in the surrounding areas. At the same time, the architectural style of the Wangdian Granary Complex is unique and relatively rare among similar buildings in Jiaxing. It reflects the historical fact of early New China imitating the industrial and agricultural construction model of the Soviet Union, giving the architecture itself significant scientific research value. In 2017, the Wangdian Granary Complex was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit, and now it has reached an even higher status as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

In 2002, with the restructuring of the former owner of the granaries—the Wangdian Grain Management Office—the complex ceased operation. Subsequently, the surrounding area gradually became occupied by numerous small, low-end, and scattered enterprises. In 2017, Wangdian Town repurchased the surrounding land, cleared out more than 700 such enterprises, and carried out systematic planning and renovation of the entire granary complex. The town also invited resident planners to redesign the site, making appropriate repairs to the moldy and leaking eaves. Without compromising the original style, the surrounding abandoned buildings were renovated and repurposed, giving the long-neglected granary complex a fresh new look and bringing it back into public view. In 2017, Xiuzhou District’s first township-level “urban living room” was established next to the granary complex. Additionally, the Jiaxing Library Wangdian Branch, transformed from an old building near the granaries, has officially opened, and the Wangdian Town Party-Masses Service Center is soon to be launched. The Wangdian Granary Complex area is set to become a brand-new landmark for Wangdian Town.

On October 7, 2019, the Wangdian Granary Complex was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units