Zhengtai Hotel

Zhengtai Hotel

Zhengtai Hotel is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Built in the same year as the Zhengtai Railway, it was the largest and most luxurious hotel in Shijiazhuang at the time. During the Republic of China era, it hosted military and political dignitaries such as Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek.

The Zhengtai Hotel was first built in 1907 and is the earliest and only existing French-style small Western-style building in Shijiazhuang. It holds a very important place in the city’s history. A century ago, Shijiazhuang was still a small village. To construct the railway from Taiyuan to this location, which intersected with the then Beijing-Hankou Railway, a train station needed to be built here. At that time, Shijiazhuang was under the jurisdiction of Zhengding Prefecture, so the railway was called the Zhengtai Railway, and the hotel was named the Zhengtai Hotel. It served as a supporting facility for the operation of the Zhengtai Railway. With the development of the transportation hub around the station, the area gradually grew and was officially established as a city in 1927. Therefore, the Zhengtai Hotel came before Shijiazhuang. According to historical records, this small Western-style building once hosted military and political dignitaries such as Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, and Song Jiaoren, as well as several other national leaders. It is a building-within-a-building structure, featuring gray brick walls, wooden windows, round doors, and wooden floors throughout the hallways and rooms, embodying a completely European style.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province