Former Site of the Shanxi Military Governor's Office

Former Site of the Shanxi Military Governor's Office

The Former Site of the Shanxi Military Governor's Office is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Former Site of the Military Governor's Office

Former Site of the Military Governor's Office (Second Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

Era: Republic of China

Address: No. 101, Fudong Street, Xinghualing District, Taiyuan City

Before the Northern Song Dynasty, this site was the Temple of Duke Wen of Jin (Chong'er). In the seventh year of the Taiping Xingguo era (982 AD) during the Northern Song Dynasty, it was rebuilt as the military headquarters of Pan Mei. During the Yuan Dynasty, it served as the Secretariat, and in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it functioned as the office of the provincial governor. Prior to the Xinhai Revolution, it had long been the site of the Shanxi provincial governor’s office during both the Ming and Qing dynasties. After the Xinhai Revolution, it became the office of the Shanxi Military Governor. The Shanxi Military Governor's Office was gradually reconstructed starting in the seventh year of the Republic of China (1918) on the foundation of the original Qing-era government offices. In 1916, Yan Xishan served as the Shanxi Military Governor and used the site as his office, hence the name “Military Governor's Office.”

The site faces south and covers an area of approximately 25,000 square meters. Along the central axis from south to north, there were originally a screen wall, the main gate, the ceremonial gate, two-story corridor buildings on the east and west, the Grand Hall (now the Yuanyi Hall), a two-story brick-and-stone structure building, a two-story wooden building, the “Self-Reflection Hall” (now the Meishan Conference Hall), and Meishan Hill. To the east of the central axis were the East Garden, Inner North Hall, and Qinyuan Building, while to the west were the West Garden. Except for the two-story wooden building, the screen wall (including the side gates), and the Qinyuan Building, which have been destroyed, the rest of the structures have largely retained their original appearance. It currently serves as the office of the People's Government of Shanxi Province.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units