Mouhua Pavilion

Mouhua Pavilion

Mouhua Pavilion is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Mouhua Pavilion is located in the northeast corner of the playground behind Shijiazhuang Railway Transportation School. It was built in June 1935 to commemorate the nationalization of the Zhengtai Railway. The pavilion stands 9 meters tall and is constructed of reinforced concrete. On a 5-meter-diameter cement base, eight octagonal pillars support a domed roof that resembles an open umbrella, topped with a uniquely shaped spire. The upper parts of the pillars are inlaid with a ring of gleaming white marble. The horizontal plaque on the north side is engraved with the three seal-script characters “悬华亭” (Mouhua Pavilion), featuring elegant calligraphy and exquisite carving. Inside the pavilion, the white marble panels between the upper pillars are inscribed with the clerical-script “Record of Mouhua Pavilion,” recounting the construction process of the pavilion. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the municipal government designated the pavilion as a municipal-level key cultural relic protection unit. It has since undergone several renovations, with various flowers, plants, and trees planted around it, and cement pathways laid, giving it a completely renewed appearance.

The Zhengtai Railway was originally built with a loan from the Banque Russo-Asiatique by the French in 1902 under the Qing government, who operated it on their behalf. In 1931, the Chinese government decided to reclaim the railway rights, but faced delays and obstruction from the French side. After determined struggles by the Zhengtai Railway Reception Committee and 3,000 employees of the railway, the French finally returned the railway rights in January 1933. At the time, Wang Maogong and Zhu Hua, who served as the director and deputy director of the Zhengtai Railway Bureau, supported the workers’ struggle, promoted cooperative initiatives, and helped unemployed workers from the “February 7th” incident regain employment, playing a significant role in the fight to reclaim the railway rights. In June 1935, to commemorate the victory of the rights reclamation and honor the achievements of Directors Wang and Zhu, railway employees raised funds to build a memorial pavilion. They named it “Mouhua Pavilion,” taking one character from each of their names.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province