Dongshan Xinhépǔ, Guangzhou

Dongshan Xinhépǔ, Guangzhou

Xinhépǔ is an area located in Dongshan, Guangzhou, China, renowned for its "Dongshan Western-style villas" and known as the city’s former luxury residential district. The boundaries of Xinhépǔ roughly extend from Dàlù Road in the east to Jūnyì Road in the west, from Miàoqián Xījiē, Miàoqián Zhíjiē, Sìbèi Tōngjīn, and the land occupied by the Guangzhou Railway Bureau in the north, to Dōnghuá Dōnglù, Xinhépǔ Chōng, and Dōnghuá Hú Park in the south, covering an area of approximately 62.9 hectares with a total of 493 historic buildings.

There is an old saying among Guangzhou residents: “The wealthy live in Xīguān, the powerful live in Dōngshān.” During the Republican era, Xinhépǔ was a residential enclave for overseas Chinese, wealthy merchants, and political elites. The residences here were built in the style of Western-style garden villas. The largest surviving complex of low-rise, courtyard-style buildings that blend Chinese and Western architectural elements in Guangzhou is located in this area. Along with the Xīguān Dàwū (Xiguan Mansions) in the western part of the city (Xiguan), these are two quintessential examples of traditional Guangzhou housing. On April 16, 2006, the area was officially designated as a municipal-level historical and cultural preservation zone. From June 12 to 20, 1923, the Third National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held here.

There are numerous Western-style villas in Dongshan, among which Yùyuán, Chūnyuán, Jiǎnyuán, Kuíyuán, and Míngyuán are collectively known as the Five Overseas Chinese Villas. Among these five, Yùyuán stands out the most. It once earned praise from the renowned cultural relics expert Lí Xiǎnhéng and is a typical example of another distinctive Dongshan residence that harmoniously blends Chinese and Western architectural styles.