Fangpo Building on Gulangyu Island

Fangpo Building on Gulangyu Island

The Fangpo Building on Gulangyu Island is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province.

The Fangpo Building on Gulangyu Island is located in Siming District, Xiamen City. It dates back to the Republican era.

Introduction: Built in 1927, this Western-style structure was originally constructed by Filipino-Chinese businessman Xu Jingquan from Jinjiang, who had made his fortune in business, as a way to honor his mother. With a construction area of 1,552 square meters and a site area of 1,429 square meters, it includes a courtyard gate, entrance tower, garden, and a Western-style building. The Western arched courtyard gate features large iron doors, flanked by imitation ancient Greek Corinthian-style cement columns. The arch is adorned with motifs such as scrollwork, entwined flowers, and birds holding coins. A smaller iron gate nearby is used for daily access. The walkway and steps within the courtyard follow the upward slope of the terrain and are connected in segments that twist and turn toward the main building’s entrance. Along the sides, based on the landform, there are Chinese garden-style rockeries, bamboo window landscapes, and small stages. The main building is a two-story brick-and-stone structure (with a semi-underground damp-proof layer) in the colonial veranda style. The building faces southeast and is roughly square-shaped, measuring 20 meters in width and 21 meters in depth. At the back, a one-story, linear two-story annex is connected, extending horizontally beyond the main building’s side walls. The roof features a long corridor-style terrace with railings.

Protected area: 10 meters east of the surrounding wall, west to the boundary of Building No. 7 on Gushan Road, south to Anhai Road and the wall of Building No. 38 on Anhai Road, north to Gushan Road.

In 2018, the Fangpo Building on Gulangyu Island was designated as part of the ninth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage sites by the People's Government of Fujian Province.

Further reading:

· Ninth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Fujian Province