Former Site of the HSBC Mansion

Former Site of the HSBC Mansion

The former site of the HSBC Mansion is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of the HSBC Mansion is located at No. 57 Guxin Road. In the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1873), the British "The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation" established a branch in Xiamen, which was the earliest modern bank in the city. Around 1920, HSBC built this structure at the cliff top on the northeastern end of Beiga Mountain to serve as the residence of the bank’s manager.

Architectural Features

This building was designed by a British architect and is a typical European-style villa. Constructed with brick and stone, it covers an area of 384.6 square meters, with one above-ground floor and a half-underground level. The plan features corridors on three sides, with a total of three entrances. The foundation uses steel rods driven into the bedrock, with the lower part of the plinth constructed from granite ashlar blocks and the upper part built with brick walls plastered and painted white. The eastern and northern sides face the cliffs and sea, ensuring ample natural light. The porch columns are in the Greek Corinthian style, with granite bases, red brick shafts, and flower-petal embellishments on the capitals. The roof is a multi-sloped design, covered with gray machine-made flat tiles.

Protected Area

The western boundary is defined by Guxin Road, while the eastern, southern, and northern boundaries extend 10 meters outward.

Key Protection Points: Strictly protect the main building and its ancillary facilities, restore the original layout of the structure, and systematically remove any new buildings around it that are not in harmony with the surrounding environment. During conservation work, strictly adhere to the principle of preserving the original state of the cultural relic.

Construction Control Zone

The eastern and northern boundaries are defined by Guxin Road, while the western and southern boundaries extend 30 meters outward from the building, with adjacent structures included in the construction control zone.

Key Protection Points: Protect the unobstructed visual corridor from the shore of the Lujiang River for optimal viewing.