Former Site of Shoushan Hospital

Former Site of Shoushan Hospital

The Former Site of Shoushan Hospital is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shanxi Province.

Former Site of Shoushan Hospital (Fifth Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

Era: Republican Era

Address: No. 22 Yantong West Road, Chengqu District, Datong City

The Former Site of Shoushan Hospital faces south and covers an area of 1,706 square meters. It consists of two buildings: the main building and a chapel, both designed in European architectural style. In the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), a plague broke out in Datong. The Church of England in Britain sent a dozen individuals, including Dr. Shimei Li, to Datong to assist with disease control. After returning to Britain, Dr. Shimei Li suggested to the Church that a hospital be established in Datong. Construction began in 1922, and the hospital was completed and opened in 1924 under the name “Shoushan Hospital.” In 1942, the Japanese army forcibly renamed it Jinbei Hospital and built additional structures. In 1947, it regained the name Shoushan Hospital.

The former main building of Shoushan Hospital served as the office building of the Second People’s Hospital of Datong until 2013. The building faces south, with a hard mountain-style roof and a brick-and-wood structure. The main structure has two floors, and the central part has three floors. It measures 25.73 meters from east to west and 66.34 meters from north to south. Construction started in 1922 and was completed in 1924 when it opened for medical services. At that time, the building housed an outpatient department (without departments), a ward section, offices, and more.

The former site of the chapel (St. Eudoxia Chapel) is located behind the main hospital building and faces west. According to the inscription on the plaque embedded in the eastern exterior wall of the chapel, it was built with funds raised by friends to commemorate the wife of President Mu Yijieya, Lady Mu Maria. Construction began on June 27, 1937, and was completed in September 1938, with the dedication ceremony held on September 8 of the same year. The main body of the chapel is a single-story structure, measuring 8.24 meters from east to west and 17.54 meters from north to south, and it remains largely intact.

Source: Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protected Sites in Shanxi Province