Taigu Warehouse

Taigu Warehouse

Taigu Warehouse is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a Guangzhou municipal cultural heritage site.

Taigu Warehouse Wharf is located in Haizhu District, Guangzhou (formerly known as Baixianke), built between 1904 and 1908 by the British Swire Group for use by the Swire Shipping Company. By the 1920s, it was considered a fairly advanced storage and wharf facility in Guangzhou. Its address is No. 124 Gexin Road. It has been revitalized for wine exhibitions, catering, tourism and leisure, design, and other uses.

The wharf consists of three T-shaped pier-type concrete docks and seven (eight numbered) brick-and-wood structure warehouses. The land area covers 54,888 square meters, with a wharf shoreline of 321 meters. The wharf features a high-pile concrete beam-slab structure. There are six brick-and-wood warehouses, two mixed-structure warehouses, and two reinforced concrete warehouses. The concrete-surfaced stacking yard covers an area of 11,362 square meters. There are nine production auxiliary buildings, six living auxiliary buildings, and five office buildings.

Upon completion, the dock was operated by the Black Stack Shipping Company under the agency of the Swire Group, serving routes across the Far East, Southeast Asia, and between Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Haiphong (Vietnam). At its peak, it managed 30 ships, among which 26 cargo and passenger ships of around 3,000 tons only berthed at the Guangzhou Taigu Warehouse Wharf to load and unload goods.

From 1928 to 1933, during Chen Jitang’s governance of Guangdong, the Taigu Warehouse Wharf area underwent renovation and expansion. High-pile beam-slab structures were used to build Inner First Wharf (now the seven warehouses of Taigu Warehouse), including Pier 1, Pier 2, and Pier 3 (now the three T-shaped docks of Taigu Warehouse), as well as Inner Second Wharf (now Osaka Warehouse).

During Japan’s invasion of China, the Taigu Warehouse Wharf served as an important transit base for military supplies and personnel. In December 1947, the Nationalist Government of Guangdong Province established the Guangdong Provincial Food Planning Committee and the Guangdong Provincial Grain Management Committee, using the Guangzhou Jardine (Jardine Warehouse), Taigu, and Osaka warehouses to store grain. Later, as grain supplies increased and the warehouses became insufficient, city rice mill warehouses were also borrowed for temporary storage.

In August 1950, to safeguard municipal relief grain and support summer grain procurement, the government leased the Taigu Warehouse, Dasheng Warehouse, Rongxingtang Warehouse, and two civilian house warehouses on Huangpu Avenue for grain storage.

On February 24, 1953, the Guangzhou Military Control Commission was ordered to expropriate the Taigu Warehouse. The Taigu Warehouse Wharf was nationalized and has since been managed by the Guangzhou Port Authority and Guangzhou Port Group.

Between 1955 and 1960, Taigu Warehouse was the busiest wharf within the Guangzhou inland port area, with the highest ship arrival density and cargo throughput. Due to its large warehouse capacity, apart from cargo operations, it was also frequently used to store important materials.

In 1968, amid the historical wave of educated youth going up to the mountains and down to the countryside, Taigu Warehouse Wharf became a key hub for transporting Guangzhou’s educated youth to Zhanjiang and Hainan to participate in the development of the southern border. During the Cultural Revolution, Taigu Warehouse suffered severe damage. From September 1 to 3, 1967, a “violent clash” occurred at Taigu Warehouse, causing fires in some warehouses, resulting in seven deaths and over ten injuries. The three-story No. 8 warehouse was burned down, leading to massive property losses. On the third day, a central investigation team personally visited the site. Throughout the “Ten Years of Turmoil,” the warehouse was also shelled, with one warehouse primarily used for storing bagged white sugar being pierced by a large hole. Although later repaired, the repaired section often experienced moisture issues with the bagged sugar, unlike other areas. This highlights that the original design, building materials, construction techniques, and moisture-proofing measures of Taigu Warehouse were remarkably scientific and rigorous even by today’s standards.

Designated as a Guangzhou municipal cultural heritage site in 2005.

Address: Taigu Warehouse Wharf, No. 124 Gexin Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou (near Jinbi Bay)

Type: Port/Waterfront Featured District

Recommended Visit Duration: 5–6 hours

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Ticket Information:

No admission fee.

Transportation

Metro: Exit A at Jiangnanxi Station on Line 2, transfer to Bus-Metro Shuttle Line 3, get off at Jinshalu Station or Guangda Garden, and walk 3 minutes to the cinema;

Bus: Take bus 813, 243, or 123 to Jinshalu Station, walk 3 minutes to the cinema; or take bus 9, 10, 75, 79, 79A, 121A, 220, 239, 288, or 521 to Fenghuang Xincun Station, walk 8 minutes to the cinema.