Former French Consulate in Beihai

Former French Consulate in Beihai

The French Consulate in Beihai, built in 1890, is the material evidence of the establishment of a French diplomatic agency in Beihai City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Now the former site is located in the Beihai guest house. It is a one story Western-style building, 34.7 meters long and 20.7 meters wide, with 2.5 meters wide ambulatory. The plane is concave and covers an area of 718 square meters. The platform is two meters high.

brief introduction

There is a cloister. The Lanhe beside the cloister is decorated with antique blue porcelain vases and feldspar strips, which looks elegant and gorgeous. There is an octagonal water tower in the northwest corner of the museum. The corner of the front wall is inlaid with a block of Chinese and French inscriptions of "Consulate General of France". Indoor facilities are complete, including office, billiards room, living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom and fireplace. From the arch carving on the outside to the elegant setting on the inside, as well as the camphor forest and evergreen flowers and plants planted around, the museum displays the style and exotic flavor of European classical gardens.

Impact on the North Sea

Shipping industry

After the end of the Sino French war, France set up a consulate in Beihai in 1887. In 1890, France bought land to build the French Consulate in Beihai. From 1887 to 1950, France set up a consulate in the North Sea for 62 years. There were 19 consuls in succession. The first (deputy) consul was Andy, and the last consul was Yau Hui. The opening of the French Consulate in the North Sea for a long time is closely related to the development of the French shipping industry in the North Sea port.

According to historical records, in 1892, the total tonnage of shipping in the northern seaport was almost exclusively owned by Germany and Denmark; since 1894, French merchant ships have participated in the competition between Germany and Denmark in the northern seaport; in 1895, the tonnage of French shipping in the northern seaport only accounted for 3% of the total tonnage of the port; in 1896, it rose to 27%. Since then, French merchant ships have used ships with large carrying capacity. By 1899, the tonnage of French shipping in the North Sea accounted for 73% of the total tonnage of the North Sea port, making France take the lead in shipping in the North Sea port.

In the 1920s, France and Britain almost took over the transportation business of the northern seaport.

Assist in management

The French Consulate in Beihai not only assists in the management of French hospitals and schools in Beihai, but also manages the business of Dongxing consulate in France and acts as an agent for Portuguese business in Beihai.

Changes after liberation

In March 1950, after the French consulate was withdrawn, the former site was used by Qinzhou Prefecture Party committee and Beihai Municipal Party committee. As the former site of the French consulate has a beautiful environment, the indoor temperature is warm in winter and cool in summer, and the facilities are complete, it is very suitable to be used as a rest house and hotel. In the spring of 1954, Tao Zhu, then Secretary of the South China branch of the Communist Party of China, visited Beihai and stayed at the former site of the French Consulate. In 1955, Chen Mingshu, a famous Democrat, stayed at the site. In March 1956, he worked as a cadre rest home of Guangdong Province. At the end of 1958, it was used as Beihai guest house in Hepu County. In 1962, Tian Han, a famous Chinese cultural figure, also stayed in the guest house. In 1973, the former French consulate was converted into a two-story reception building. After Beihai became an open coastal city in 1984, the building was renamed Beihai Hotel. In 1985, it was renamed Beihai guest house, and the original French Consulate after reconstruction was called "Building 5". From 1980 to 1998, party and state leaders such as Hu Yaobang, Gu Mu, Qiao Shi, Jiang Zemin, Wan Li, Song Ping, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Lanqing, Li Ruihuan and Wei Jianxing visited Beihai and stayed in the building. At the end of the 20th century, building 5 became a famous welcome building in Beihai. The building has also received foreign visitors from former Prime Minister Hartling of Denmark (1981) and countries from five continents, including the United States, Britain and France.

As the former site of the French consulate has important historical value, it was announced as a municipal, autonomous regional and national key cultural relics protection unit in 1993, 1994 and 2001.

Address: No.32, middle Beibuwan Road, Haicheng District, Beihai City (in Beihai Hotel).

Longitude: 109.1209673411

Latitude: 21.480316752044

Ticket information: free.