Former Site of the Hankou Branch of Siming Bank

Former Site of the Hankou Branch of Siming Bank

The former site of the Hankou Branch of Siming Bank is a cultural relic protection unit of Hubei Province.

Former Site of the Hankou Branch of Siming Bank

Located at No. 45, Jianghan Road, Jianghan District, Wuhan City, it was built in 1936, designed by the architectural firm of Lu Yongbiao, and constructed by the Han Xiesheng Construction Company. Siming Bank was established in Shanghai in 1908, with its Hankou branch founded in 1919. This historical site has a construction area of approximately 1,200 square meters and features a reinforced concrete structure in a modernist style. The floor plan is trapezoidal. The building has five above-ground floors (with partial seven floors) and one basement level. The facade emphasizes vertical lines, with simplified pilasters extending all the way to the top. The first floor is clad in granite, while the upper floors are finished with washed stone. The roof features stepped towers on both sides that taper upward. This site represents the first steel-reinforced concrete building designed by a Chinese architect in Hankou, and was one of the taller buildings in Wuhan at the time. It is also among the earliest Western-style buildings constructed outside the foreign concessions in Wuhan, often referred to as a "building of pride" built by the Chinese. It incorporated the latest architectural ideas from Europe and America at the time, exerting a significant influence on the development of modern architecture in Wuhan.

Source: Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units