The Modern Architectural Complex of Mount Jigong

The Modern Architectural Complex of Mount Jigong

The Modern Architectural Complex of Mount Jigong is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

During the Qing Dynasty, Mount Jigong in Xinyang could be considered China’s first public concession in history. For a time, nearly 500 villas were built here by missionaries, merchants, and others from 23 countries including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and Russia, earning it the title “Museum of Global Architecture.” Due to wars and human destruction, over a hundred of these historic villas still remain today, forming one of the few remarkable mountain architectural wonders in China.

In 2014, the Modern Architectural Complex of Mount Jigong was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The formation of the Mount Jigong architectural complex is related to an American missionary named Lisheng Li.

In 1890, Lisheng Li, originally named Daniel Nelson, came to Hankou, Hubei from the United States.

After the Beijing-Hankou Railway opened in 1902 and passed through Mount Jigong in Xinyang, he began preaching in Henan’s Xinyang. On October 21, 1902, Lisheng Li and his companion, Douglas, visited Mount Jigong for the first time.

According to He Jun, head of the Tourism and Culture Bureau of the Mount Jigong Management Area, Lisheng Li’s daughter Mary wrote in her father’s biography that due to the hot weather, they were poorly acclimated to the local conditions. Lisheng Li’s newborn son, Dudley Li, unfortunately contracted a heat-related illness and nearly died. This incident motivated Lisheng Li to find a place suitable for summer retreat, and he first thought of Mount Jigong, often mentioned by people in Xinyang. Their first visit left them deeply impressed by the mountain’s terrain, which they believed to be an ideal summer resort.

On September 15, 1903, Lisheng Li and Douglas bribed the magistrate of Xinyang and purchased a mountain area about 1.5 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide on Mount Jigong, where they built four villas. The following year, Douglas bought another plot of land spanning 2.5 square kilometers and constructed two more villas.

Subsequently, Western missionaries and merchants flocked to the area, and stone houses of various styles sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

By the end of 1905, there were already 27 foreign-style buildings on Mount Jigong from countries such as Britain, the United States, France, Russia, and Japan. However, these villas were built without official approval and were considered illegal constructions.

When the imperial court learned of this, it was furious and ordered a strict investigation. Eventually, the Qing government redeemed and leased all the land and buildings on Mount Jigong. The mountain land purchased by missionaries was designated separately as the “Missionary Zone,” enjoying extraterritorial rights.

At that time, the arrogant foreigners did not allow Chinese people to walk within the villa area—nor could they enter to check household registrations. Mount Jigong essentially became a public concession of China.

Today, the Mount Jigong Scenic Area Management Office still preserves a “Concession Stone,” which scholars refer to as an “extraterritorial enclave” of the Hankou Concession.

Preservation

In 2006, the Modern Architectural Complex of Mount Jigong was listed by the Henan Provincial Government as part of the fourth batch of Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units. According to the results of the third national cultural relics survey conducted from 2007 to 2011, 119 modern buildings and structures in diverse styles, constructed between 1903 and 1949 by 23 countries including China, the United States, Britain, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, still remain on Mount Jigong.

In May 2013, the State Council (Guo Fa [2013] No. 13) announced the Modern Architectural Complex of Mount Jigong as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units