Former Site of the British Consulate in Beihai

Former Site of the British Consulate in Beihai

The former site of the British Consulate is located on Beibuwan Middle Road in the northern part of the city, within the campus of Beihai No. 1 Middle School. Built in the 11th year of the Guangxu reign (1885), the main building has two floors, with a construction area of 664 square meters. The corridor columns feature a brick-and-wood structure, and all pillars, arches, staircases, and ceilings are decorated with granite slabs and high-grade floral tiles, highlighting European architectural style. The auxiliary buildings cover an area of 419 square meters. This former site was designated as a national-level cultural relics protection unit in 2001.

In 1876, following the Opium Wars, Britain forced the Qing government to sign the humiliating Sino-British Yantai Treaty under the pretext of the "Margary Affair." One of the treaty’s clauses designated Beihai as a trading port. From then on, Beihai fell into a semi-colonial status.

In 1877, Britain rented a local civilian house to establish a consulate in Beihai. In 1885, the British Consulate office building was constructed. The building is a two-story, rectangular Western-style structure, measuring 47 meters in length and 12 meters in width, with a construction area of 1,154 square meters. The main building remains relatively well-preserved. Auxiliary buildings include dormitories, reception rooms, and a small chapel, covering an area of 419 square meters. The consulate site is surrounded by a beautiful environment, with century-old camphor trees encircling the area. The English-language cornerstone, engraved in intaglio, is still preserved today, serving as a historical testament to Sino-British...

...relations under the Yantai Treaty. In 1924, the site was sold to the French Catholic Diocese of Beihai to be used as the Holy Virtue Monastery. Later, it was expanded in the original style toward the eastern end. The total area, including the later expansion, is 1,154 square meters. In early October 1999, due to special requirements for the construction of Jiefang Road, the former site was moved 55.8 meters northeast to its current location.