Group of Modern Buildings on the North Bank

Group of Modern Buildings on the North Bank

The Group of Modern Buildings on the North Bank is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

The Group of Modern Buildings on the North Bank consists of four structures: the former site of the Ningbo Post Office, the former Xie Family Residence, the former British Consulate, and the former Zhejiang Customs Office. In March 2005, it was announced as part of the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units.

1. Former Site of the Ningbo Post Office

The former site of the Ningbo Post Office is situated at No. 172 Zhongma Road, Zhongma Subdistrict, Jiangbei District, Ningbo. Constructed in 1927, this building was originally the Yinxian First-Class Post Office, which was then upgraded to the Ningbo First-Class Post Office. In 1931, it reverted to being the Yinxian Post Office. In 1949, it moved to a new location at No. 122 Chezhan Road. The building faces east, toward the Yong River, and sits back-to against Zhongma Road. It is a two-story brick-and-concrete structure featuring an outer corridor. Its floor plan is convex-shaped with three bays in width and two sections in depth, with the staircase located in the middle bay. The roof combines a four-sloped design with a gable roof. The exterior walls combine blue and red bricks in their construction. The eastern entrance is decorated with Ionic column capitals. Outer corridors are present on the building's east, south, and west sides, all using arched structures. With a distinct Western architectural style, it is an iconic representation of Ningbo’s modern architecture. It was designated as a provincial cultural heritage protection unit in 2005.

2. Former Xie Family Residence

The former Xie Family Residence is located at No. 96 Baisha Road, Baisha Subdistrict, Jiangbei District. This residence was originally the home of Xie Hengchuang (also known as Xie Hengchang), also called Tianci or Decai (1875–1960), a coal magnate from Ningbo. At the age of 16, he became an apprentice at a Shanghai coal company before establishing his own coal business and investing in coal mines. He founded the Ningbo Residents Association in Shanghai, initiated the Ningbo-Shao Ship Company, established seven Zhenhai Qiujing Schools, participated in founding a children’s welfare institute, the Red Cross, the Siming Guild Hall, the Zhabei Fire Brigade in Shanghai, and donated large sums to institutions such as the Ningbo Siming Orphanage and the Infant Asylum. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance, he became one of the leaders of the Shanghai Anti-Japanese Aid Association. Later, he moved to Chongqing and continued operating in the coal industry. After the war, he served as chairman of the Shanghai Coal Industry Union. After the liberation of Shanghai, he remained an important member of the coal union.

The building is located on the north bank of Ningbo, facing the Yong River to the east. The main structure faces west and is a three-story building with a convex floor plan. There is also an auxiliary western-style building connected to the northern wall. The total area of the two separate structures is about 530 square meters. The main building is a three-story edifice made of cement, brick, and stone pillars, with a clearly divided three-tier height. The walls are made of gray plain bricks with horizontal red plain brick accents. The main façade features decorative arched window lintels made of stone, and the roof is a four-sloped design. The structure is logically built, rigorously laid out, majestic, and exquisitely detailed, with a distinctive style. The color scheme uses a contrast of blue and red, adding vibrancy to the building. It was designated as a provincial cultural heritage protection unit in 2005.

3. Former British Consulate

The former site of the British Consulate is located at No. 56 Baisha Road, Baisha Subdistrict, Jiangbei District, on the northwest bank of the Yong River. It was built in the sixth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1880), after the signing of the unequal Treaty of Nanjing, which designated Ningbo as one of the “Five Treaty Ports” for foreign trade. The area along the north bank of the Yong River was set aside as a foreign settlement, and the British consulate was established there. Later, due to the small number of British residents in Ningbo, consular affairs were managed by the British Consulate in Shanghai. In June 1934, the British Consulate in Ningbo was abolished, and the British Consul in Shanghai, Mr. Bi John, sold the property to the then Yinxian County Government to be used as a relief hospital. After the liberation, the official residence of the British Consulate and the staff housing were demolished.

Only the main building of the former British Consulate (the office building) remains today. It faces south and has seven bays in width, covering an area of 487.5 square meters. The roof is a four-sloped design covered with red Western-style tiles. The floor plan is rectangular, supported by eight thick concrete square pillars that uphold both the upper and lower floors. There is a front porch, and the beams use modern Western triangular wooden trusses. The interior includes fireplaces, parquet flooring, and a wooden-strip plaster flat ceiling. The upper and lower corridors are paved with terrazzo floors, and the perimeter of the foundation is lined with strip stones. This building is one of the city’s more intact and typical examples of British-style Western architecture. It was designated as a provincial cultural heritage protection unit in 2005.

4. Former Zhejiang Customs Office

The existing building of the former Zhejiang Customs Office was constructed in the eleventh year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1861). The original Zhejiang Customs consisted of the New Customs Office Building (now the former Zhejiang Customs Office), the Customs Supervisor’s Residence (Inner Customs), the Zhejiang Regular Customs, and the New Customs Club. The former Customs Supervisor’s Residence (Inner Customs) and the Zhejiang Regular Customs have been demolished. The New Customs Club was converted into the Ningbo Post Office in 1927. Currently, only the New Customs Office Building remains.

The New Customs Office Building is located at No. 198 Zhongma Road, Jiangbei District, Ningbo. It faces east-west, has three stories plus a mezzanine, and is a mixed brick-and-wood structure. The floor plan is rectangular, featuring double-sided outer corridors, and covers a construction area of 1,068 square meters. The overall width is 15.10 meters, the depth is 18.44 meters, and the height from ground to roof is 16.05 meters. The first floor is arranged in an L-shape, with three main rooms behind the eastern colonnade, which were once used as offices for the New Customs cargo inspectors, harbor section, and inspection section. On the south side facing east is the stairwell with a wooden spiral staircase, serving as the main access for the upper floors. A large room in the southwest corner served as a warehouse, while the northwest corner housed other management offices. The second and third floors were once residences for the customs inspector, with a room layout similar to the first floor, except the west side was divided into several smaller rooms. The fourth floor is a mezzanine with eight simple rooms.

In 2005, it was designated as a provincial cultural heritage protection unit by the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government. In 2008, it was converted into a museum and opened to the public free of charge in December.

Source: Jiangbei District Cultural Relics Management Office