With Nanjing as capital of China prior to Beijing, so too it was home to the embassies of many countries during the Republican era. Some are well preserved, still standing strong to this day and open to the public, perhaps none more so than the former British Embassy.
Located at 185 Huju Bei Lu a little south of its intersection with Zhongshan Bei Lu, the building dates from 1919, before being rented by the British Embassy from 1924 to 1950.
The building, taking up 1,765.90 square metres and now a restaurant, also served in the past as a hospital and hotel. Elegant, luxurious and thanks to its architects, very British, the former Embassy also incorporated large green areas to its front and rear, reflecting the British interest in gardening.
Originally, there were nine two-story buildings on site, together with both Western and Chinese style bungalows, but due to construction, most were demolished, leaving only the Embassy building and one small residential building, to the north of the Embassy.
The latter is comprised with red bricks and tiles, sporting a pillared porch at its entrance, much like a European country villa. The facade of the former, however, is of a classical colonnade type, with white walls and red tiles. And while this exterior is without question, exquisite, the true beauty lies in the interior, although largely from a historical perspective.
Therein, stairs and floors retain their original appearance, and even creak under foot, just as they probably did a century ago.
But perhaps it is the sun-kissed south wing that will consume an imagination the most; these are the very rooms where many an important African, Middle Eastern and European diplomat sat sipping tea, where bridge was played and national affairs were debated.
Having obtained cultural-relic status at the municipal and provincial level in 1992 and 2002, respectively, the former British Embassy in Nanjing was listed a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in March, 2013. Today a part of the Shuangmenlou Guest House, the site is open to visitors.
