Former Site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government

Former Site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government

The Former Site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: 1938–1946

Type: Important Modern Historical Site and Representative Architecture

Location: Yuzhong District, Chongqing

Batch: Seventh Batch

Former Site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government: Also the former site of the Sichuan Provincial Party Department of the Left-Wing Kuomintang and Chongqing High School. The site faces southeast and is situated northwest, consisting of two one-story buildings over one basement level. These are two brick-and-wood structures in Sino-Western style. They are 19.4 meters wide, 20.5 meters deep, and approximately 13.5 meters in total height. Building 1 has a floor area of 624 square meters, Building 2 has 480 square meters, the building footprint is 552 square meters, and the total site area is about 2,600 square meters. The buildings were constructed in the 1930s, featuring grey bricks and tiled roofs with a four-sloped water design. The architectural style adopts a symmetrical arrangement with outer corridors, giving it an elegant and solemn appearance with high artistic value. Building 1 was originally the right wing of the Baxian County Council. In early 1927, the Sichuan Provincial Party Department of the Left-Wing Kuomintang used it as its office. At that time, Yang Angong, Secretary of the Chongqing Local Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and member of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Party Department of the Left-Wing Kuomintang, worked in the first room on the right side of the second floor. After the “March 31 Incident” in Chongqing in 1927, this building, along with the Lotus Pond office of the Left-Wing Kuomintang Provincial Party Department, was sealed off by reactionary forces. To the left of this building is another similarly built structure (Building 2), which was the left wing of the Baxian County Council. In 1929, Liang Jingchao (also known as Bolong), a Communist Party member and Huangpu Military Academy student, returned to Sichuan and founded Chongqing High School at the left wing building. The principal was Liu Xiang, and the vice-principal was Liang Jingchao. This school was one of the three schools (Chongqing Public School, Sino-French School, and Chongqing High School) directly established by the underground CCP organization in Chongqing during the 1920s. Although nominally headed by Liu Xiang, the educational policy was actually based on the principles set by Zhou Enlai at the Huangpu Military Academy, emphasizing political education and military training. Both male and female students were enrolled and wore military uniforms, belts, and cloth leg wrappings. The head of military training was Guo Xunqi, commander of the city defense forces. The school had both a CCP branch and a Communist Youth League branch, forming a strong core organization. Students were also systematically divided into groups of five or six and sent to streets and alleys to tell stories to the public, mostly about anti-imperialism and anti-warlordism. This alarmed Liu Xiang, who, finding it inconvenient to shut down a school he was officially heading, cited lack of funding as the reason for its closure. Liang Jingchao then established the Southwest Institute at the Hu Family Ancestral Hall in Nan’an District, Chongqing (loaned by Hu Zi’ang), which was soon closed as well. He later went to Chengdu to establish the Southwest University, which was shut down in 1930 by the Chengdu Joint Office of the Three Armies. Liang Jingchao and others were martyred. During the War of Resistance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government also used this building as an office. The site reflects the social background and political atmosphere of the time, possessing significant historical and cultural value. On September 7, 2000, it was announced by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government as one of the first municipal-level cultural relics protection units after Chongqing became a municipality directly under the central government.

In May 2013, the Former Site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government was designated as part of the Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units