Historic Buildings on Beishan Road

Historic Buildings on Beishan Road

The historic buildings on Beishan Road are protected as Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics.

Historic Buildings on Beishan Road (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Modern

Announcement Date: March 16, 2005

The complex of historic buildings on Beishan Road includes the East and West Buildings of the New Xin Hotel, the former site of the Industrial Pavilion of the First West Lake Exposition, and Jingyi Villa. The New Xin Hotel has two historic buildings: the East Building was originally the New Xin Hotel, one of the earliest modern-style hotels in Hangzhou, while the West Building was a villa belonging to a wealthy merchant from Nanxun, known as “Guyun Caoshe.” Both buildings were influenced by the Baroque style popular in commercial architecture at the time, featuring impressive grandeur and elaborate decorations, making them among the more significant modern buildings in Hangzhou.

The former site of the Industrial Pavilion of the First West Lake Exposition is the only surviving specialized venue from the 1929 exposition. The structure has a square layout with a central courtyard, an interior supported by wooden trusses, and a main facade that imitates Western classical architecture, divided horizontally into five sections and vertically into three, though this is only in terms of facade design. This building is one of the very few large-span public structures preserved from that era in our province. Its structural system was quite advanced for the time, making it an outstanding physical example for studying the economic development, exhibition industry, and evolution of public architecture in modern Hangzhou.

Jingyi Villa was originally the residence of Zhang Renjie (1877–1950), also known as Zengcheng, with the courtesy name Jingjiang and the alias Yingguang. A native of Nanxun, Huzhou, Zhejiang, he was praised by Sun Yat-sen as a “remarkable figure of the Republic of China.” In July 1927, Zhang Renjie became the Chairman of the provincial government, and “Jingyi Villa” served as his residence. The building is constructed along the mountain slope, enclosed by walls made of reddish-brown block stones, and is of a grand scale. The main structure consists of two European-style two-story buildings, situated high on the mountainside of Geling, facing south toward the West Lake. The two buildings are arranged east-west, connected by a winding corridor in the middle.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units