Site of the Former 491 Radio Station

Site of the Former 491 Radio Station

The site of the former 491 Radio Station is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The site of the former 491 Radio Station is a complex of Japanese-style buildings that once housed a modern-era broadcasting transmitter in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Also known as the Shuangqiao Radio Station, it is referred to as the former site of the naval communication base during the Republic of China period. Recognized as an important modern historical site and representative architecture, it is located in Shuangqiao Village, Dougezhuang Township, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. Its construction began on February 21, 1918, and was completed by the end of July 1923. The complex includes six iron towers, each over 200 meters tall, one transmitter building, and seven dormitory buildings, covering a total area of nearly 200,000 square meters—all designed in the Japanese architectural style. The main building is a two-story structure surrounded by auxiliary facilities and transmission towers. By May 2013, five of the original buildings remained. As China’s earliest radio station, the 491 Radio Station witnessed the eras of the Beiyang warlords, Japanese puppet rule, and the Kuomintang government. On October 1, 1949, it broadcast the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China to audiences around the world. For this reason, it was designated as a Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1997 and listed as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council in 2013.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units