The Soviet-style Cylindrical Grain Silo Complex of Wangdian Rice Mill

The Soviet-style Cylindrical Grain Silo Complex of Wangdian Rice Mill

The Soviet-style Cylindrical Grain Silo Complex of Wangdian Rice Mill is a protected cultural heritage site under Zhejiang Province.

The Soviet-style Cylindrical Grain Silo Complex of Wangdian Rice Mill is located on the east bank of the Changshuitang River at No. 13 Tangdong Street, Sixi Community, Wangdian Town, Xiuzhou District, Jiaxing City. According to former mill workers, it was built in the 1950s as a warehouse for the original Wangdian Rice Mill. The complex covers a construction area of over 5,700 square meters. In 2002, following the restructuring of the rice mill, the silos were decommissioned. Currently, aside from a small number of silos on the western side rented out to a small household appliance factory for storage, the rest remain unused. The silo complex is arranged in three parallel rows from south to north, slightly offset and equally spaced. The southernmost first row contains six silos; the second row to the north has five silos; and the northernmost third row has the first position on the west side vacant, leaving only three silos, totaling 14 in all. The silos are spaced evenly at 7.8 meters apart. All are Soviet-style cylindrical structures with the same volume and dimensions—12 meters in diameter and 8.15 meters in height. The walls are made of concrete, with wooden beams inside, and the roofs are tiled in hexagonal blue tiles. The main doors are positioned 2 meters above the ground. On the western side of the rice mill along the Changshuitang River, there was once a stone pier (now severely damaged). The Changshuitang River is an important tributary of the Jiaxing section of the Grand Canal. The Wangdian Rice Mill’s Soviet-style Cylindrical Grain Silo Complex, built along the river, served as a vital facility for centralized grain storage and transportation in the surrounding region. The number and scale of the surviving silos reflect their former importance. Among similar structures in Jiaxing, this complex is relatively rare, highlighting the traditional agricultural status of the Jiaxing area as a “land of fish and rice.” The unique architectural design of the silos reflects the early years of New China’s adoption of Soviet industrial and agricultural construction models. Moreover, the buildings themselves hold significant scientific research value. In 2017, the site was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit of Zhejiang Province.