Former Site of the Japanese Consulate in Xiamen

Former Site of the Japanese Consulate in Xiamen

The former site of the Japanese Consulate in Xiamen is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of the Japanese Consulate is located at No. 24, 26, and 28 Lujiao Road, and includes three buildings: the consulate and its headquarters. In 1874, the Japanese government sent the “Governor-General of Taiwan” accompanied by a lieutenant to Gulangyu to establish the consulate, with temporary offices set up in the Yamato Club, a Japanese establishment on the island. In March 1896, Japanese Consul Ueno Senichi officially began constructing the consulate building on Lujiao Road, which was completed in 1898. In 1915, the Japanese consulate established a police substation within the compound. In 1928, the Japanese consulate added two buildings to the right side of the main structure to serve as its headquarters, which included an interrogation room and prison. From 1928 to 1945, the underground prison of the consulate’s headquarters held numerous patriots and innocent civilians.

Architectural Features

Japanese Consulate: Facing south, the building covers a construction area of 2,930 square meters, with two floors above ground and one below. It has a brick-and-wood structure, featuring a front-veranda layout with wide arched corridors, resembling a Victorian-style British villa. The lower part of the walls is built with granite stone, while the upper section is finished with plain red bricks. The roof is gabled, the veranda roof is flat, and the roofing is covered with red machine-made flat tiles.

Japanese Consulate Headquarters: There are two buildings in total—one serving as the consulate office and the other as staff dormitories—both of brick-concrete structure with plain red brick walls, thick walls, and long windows, giving a simple and solid appearance typical of 20th-century Japanese architecture. The office building faces north, covers 855 square meters with two floors above ground and one below, while the dormitory faces east, has two floors, and covers 508 square meters. The walls of the underground prison in the office building still bear dozens of inscriptions carved by former prisoners with their fingers or wooden sticks, including details such as dates of imprisonment, duration of detainment, as well as accounts of torture and condemnations of Japanese atrocities.

Protected Area

The northern boundary is defined by Lujiao Road, with extensions of 12 meters to the east and west respectively. Adjacent buildings are included within the protected zone, and the southern boundary connects with the protected area of the nearby Catholic Church.

Key Protection Points: The building itself and its affiliated facilities must be strictly preserved. During conservation work, the principle of maintaining the original state of the cultural relics must be strictly adhered to. When conditions allow, later-added structures within the site should be demolished.

Construction Control Zone

The northern boundary extends to Longtou Road, with 50-meter extensions to the east and south from the building. Adjacent buildings are included within the construction control area, and the southwestern corner connects with the control zone of the nearby Catholic Church.