Former Site of the China Industrial Bank Building

Former Site of the China Industrial Bank Building

The former site of the China Industrial Bank Building is a cultural relic protection unit of Hubei Province.

Former Site of the China Industrial Bank Building

Located at No. 22, Jianghan Road, Jiang’an District, Wuhan City, it was built in 1935, designed by Lu Yongbiao and constructed by Li Liji Construction Company, covering a floor area of 4,645 square meters. This site is an eight-story reinforced concrete structure and is considered a modernist building. It features a simple façade, with the lower exterior wall clad in black marble and the outer walls coated in red paint. The China Industrial Bank Building introduced a new architectural style to Hankou and stands as a milestone in Wuhan’s modernist architecture. It holds significant value for the study of Wuhan’s modern and early financial industry as well as early modern architecture.

In 1936, the Hankou branch of the China Industrial Bank completed this brick-red “modern building” at the entrance of Dongting Street. At that time, Western modernist architecture was beginning to enter China. This innovatively designed building was the tallest in Wuhan at the time, attracting crowds of citizens who came to see it as a marvel.

The China Industrial Bank was established in 1919, with its first general manager being Zhou Xuexi. Zhou Xuexi is as renowned in the history of Chinese industry as Zhang Jian from the south, giving rise to the saying “Zhou in the north, Zhang in the south.” Based on the philosophy that “finance precedes and is the foundation of industry,” he advocated for the establishment of a unified and robust financial institution dedicated to serving industrial development. This also explains the origin of the bank’s name. Its Hankou branch was set up in 1922.

This building is the masterpiece of Chinese architect Lu Yongbiao. It has a reinforced concrete structure, with the ground floor featuring a black marble exterior, while the middle and upper floors are clad in dark red exterior walls that extend to the spire. At a height of 48.5 meters, it dominated the skyline of the three towns (Wuhan) for decades. The building’s exterior is clean and bright, with tall and upright floors. Each wing has six stories, while the central tower has nine. The entrance is located at the street corner, and to emphasize it, the upper tower gradually steps back, reducing the visual pressure on the street. The ground-floor business hall is octagonal, with a ceiling resembling an octagonal caisson.

Source: Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units