The former premises of the Chartered Bank in Hankou

The former premises of the Chartered Bank in Hankou

The former premises of the Chartered Bank in Hankou is a cultural relic protection unit of Hubei Province.

The former premises of the Chartered Bank in Hankou are located on Dongting Street, Jiang’an District, Wuhan City. Built in 1865, the three-story brick-concrete structure features Renaissance architectural style, with a total floor area of 2,275.06 square meters. The Chartered Bank was the first foreign bank in Hankou. After the Xinhai Revolution, foreign banks in Hankou jointly established the “Hankou Foreign Exchange Banks Association,” and this bank was elected as the “Permanent Chairman.” This building holds significant importance for studying the economic development history of Hankou and the evolution of foreign influence in the city.

The Chartered Bank, also known as the Standard Chartered Bank, was founded in 1853 with its headquarters in London. It was a British royal-chartered bank authorized to conduct colonial business. Why was it called the “Chartered Bank” or “麦加利银行” (Maijiali Bank) in inland China? It turns out that the first manager (or "taipan") of the Standard Chartered Bank in China was named John Mackellar. Perhaps because his name was easier to pronounce, the bank became commonly known as the “麦加利银行” (Maijiali Bank) at the time.

Hankou became a treaty port in 1861 and quickly developed into the commercial and trade hub of Central China. Tea, one of China’s most important native products, played a significant role in Hankou’s import and export trade. Due to competition between British and Russian tea merchants, annual tea trade volume exceeded 30 million taels of silver. Spotting a business opportunity, the Chartered Bank dispatched staff from its Shanghai branch to Hankou in 1863 to establish a local branch.

This building, located at the corner of today’s Qingdao Road and Dongting Street, was designed by the British. It is a three-story brick-and-wood structure with an iron-tiled roof. All four sides of the three floors feature continuous corridors, each adorned with ten arched openings on the façade. The upper two floors are further fitted with vase-shaped balustrades, creating a light and airy architectural effect. The design also adapted to the hot, humid summer climate along the Yangtze River in Hankou, which is why some Western architects refer to it as South Asian colonial architecture.

The building covers a floor area of 2,275 square meters. It currently houses the Wuhan Branch of the Bank of China.

Source: Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units