Walkers Without Borders by tj

(Looking at Lishunde from afar, 1886)

Due to geographical reasons, Tianjin, which borders the Bohai Sea to the west, has been in decline since the Han and Tang Dynasties. For more than a thousand years, it has always been a fortress for overseas visitors entering North and Northeast China. After the Six Dynasties established their capital in Beijing, Tianjin became the gateway to the most virtuous area at the feet of the emperor. Therefore, it is called Jinmen and Guyang.

(Oil painting depicting Shunde when it was first founded)

After Tianjin was opened as a port, it became one of China's top ten foreign trade ports. From then on, business flags followed the cross, like a flood that broke a bank. From west to east, missionaries, businessmen, and tourists sat on a sea boat and sailed across the sea. They became the earliest pioneers and gold diggers of foreign religion and trade in modern Tianjin.

(Old photo of Shunde in 1909)

"Jinmen Miscellaneous Notes" records: "The middle area is the British Concession, with a river in the east and a sea road in the west. The streets are wide and flat, the houses are neatly arranged, and the trees on the roadside are lush and dense. Pedestrians and ants are swarming in the streets, and the goods are piled up like mountains. The cars, donkeys, and sedans are connected all night long, and the street lamps are arranged like stars. They are very elegant and elegant. It's quite impressive. It's like a small town in Shanghai." It was with the gathering of businessmen and guests that the Lishunde Hotel, the earliest foreign-related hotel in Tianjin and even China, came into being.

(Qing Dynasty Dalong stamps issued under the chairmanship of Li Shunde)

In the spring of 1863, Yin Sende, the British pastor of the Christian Holy Church who had been preaching in Tianjin for two years, imitated other British businessmen and used With 600 taels of charity silver from the mission, he signed a "royal lease" to "sublease" the land with Gibson, the Queen's representative in Zimbabwe, and purchased a piece of land. Then they hired people to build a simple British-Indian style bungalow at the southernmost end of the land, which was used as a warehouse, a foreign company, a hotel and a restaurant. It was the prototype of the Lishunde Hotel, known as the "mud house" and "old house". Room".

(The "Lishun (Germany)" battleship built by Lishunde for the Beiyang Navy during the Sino-Japanese War)

Twenty-three years later, in 1886, the Chairman of the Industrial Bureau of the British Concession, The Tianjin Customs and Taxation Department, the British-German shareholder De Cuilin of Lishunde Hotel, and others rebuilt a building on its old site covering an area of ??3,200 square meters and a construction area of ??6,200 square meters. It has a Western European rustic flavor, with a three-story brick and wood structure. A classical exposed-style luxury hotel building with a flat pitched roof. It stood in Tianjin and was the most majestic building in Tianjin until the early 20th century. The store emblem of Lishunde is "Sea-carrying ship on sea water". The meaning of Lishunde's name is "seeking profit and prosperity but based on virtue", which embodies the original intention of building the store.

(English brochure of Lishunde during the Republic of China)

In the early days of the hotel's construction, the British-German chairman of the British Concession Industry Bureau, De Cuilin, was influenced by the then-director during his stay in Tianjin. Under the care of Governor Li Hongzhang, the Lishunde Hotel was also called the "Governor-General's Mansion Hotel" in order to express gratitude for his kindness.

(Silver tableware customized by Li Shunde in the UK)

At that time, the main building of Li Shunde was three stories high, arranged along the street, and protruding from the semi-basement outside the main building, forming the center of the entire building. Plinth and ground floor verandah. There are observation towers on the second and third floors. The entire building has a light and lively facade shape. It faces Victoria Park to the west and Haihe River to the east. It has a beautiful environment and has the style of European pastoral architecture.

(Li Shunde customized furniture from Italy)

Internal structure, each floor is an inner corridor layout, the main entrance is on the side of the middle street, and there is a courtyard, restaurant, Dining room, kitchen, billiard room, bathroom, and 5 guest rooms. There are two apartments and 17 single rooms on the second and third floors. In addition, there are large banquet halls and dance halls. Each apartment has a bedroom, living room, library, dining room, pantry, kitchen, bathroom and verandah.

(Li Shunde's lobby, grand banquet hall, VIP room, and Western restaurant, 1926)

In 1924, after the hotel demolished the north side wall of the building built in 1886, it built A four-story brick-wood mixed structure building with an area of ??about 2,500 square meters was built. The entire plan is E-shaped, with a 43-square-meter ballroom and a 150-square-meter restaurant expanded. A lobby, service desk, bar, etc. have been added. 40 new guest rooms were added.

(Interior view of the guest room in Lishunde at that time)

A reporter from the Russian "Frontier Daily" wrote: "When I arrived in Tianjin on May 21, 1901, I went to the Astor Hotel (that is, Lishunde ), I lived in a cheaper room on the third floor, which cost eight US dollars (eight rupees) a day including food and drinks.

The floor is carpeted, the ceiling has molded decorations, there is a marble bathroom, an electric bell, and a single-use balcony with rattan lounge chairs. At eight o'clock in the morning, the foreign young Chinese waiter told me the time for three meals. The bar is open all day, beer is $1 a bottle and champagne is $5 a bottle. ”

(On April 1, 1881, Li Hongzhang held a grand dinner for King Kalakaua and his entourage at the Lishunde Hotel, the most exclusive foreign-related hotel in Tianjin at the time. The picture on the left is the king and his entourage , the picture is the banquet menu, the dishes include bird's nest, shark's fin, fried fish, lion's head, lamb chops, cold chicken nuggets, ham, mushrooms, etc., as well as fruit pudding, chocolate cake, butter finger cake, a combination of Chinese and Western)

Famous foreign dignitaries staying here include former U.S. Presidents Hoover and Grant, former U.S. Secretary of State Kostad, former Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi, former Myanmar Prime Minister U Nu, former Polish Council of Ministers Chairman Silenkiewicz, Former Czech President Sirocchi and others

(Lishund Old Elevator)

In July and October 1863, the envoys of Denmark and the Netherlands signed the "China Agreement" with the Chinese government in Lishunde. The Treaty of Denmark, the Treaty of China and the Netherlands, and the "Most Favored Nation" treatment, the Treaty of Harmony and Commerce between China and Brazil, the Treaty of Tianjin between China and France, the Annan Border Commerce Regulations, and the Treaty of Tianjin between China and Portugal are all in the treaty. This signing witnessed the complicated history

(Lishunde Old Japanese Barber Chair)

The Qing government commended the builder of Lishunde, De Cuilin, for his contribution to modern China's internal affairs. For his diplomatic, military, and economic contributions, in 1896, Empress Dowager Cixi issued an edict, and Li Hongzhang made an exception and awarded him a first-class official title with a flower feather on top. You must know that the Chinese feudal court awarded foreigners the equivalent of the first-class official title of deputy prime minister of the State Council today. , unique in Chinese history

(Lishunde Old Telephone)

Lishunde also extended its economic tentacles to many areas in Tianjin, such as: 1. Funding. Established the Beiyang Military Department (Yuan Shikai's control of the military was arranged by the hotel's shareholders). 2. Established and operated the Kailuan Coal Mine. 4. Invested in the construction of the "Lishun (De)" warship. Opened long-distance telephone lines between Beijing and Tianjin. 6. Dredged and straightened the Haihe River to improve navigation capacity. 7. Funded the construction of Five Avenues. 9. Established the first newspaper in Tianjin, China Times. . 10. Invest in the establishment of "Tuna College" (the predecessor of Peiyang University), etc.

(Sun Yat-sen's guest room when he stayed in Lishunde)

In addition, many buildings in Tianjin are related to Lishunde. Closely related, for example: "Xiaobailou" is used as the "rules hall" for British and American sailors to quit drinking (because it is a two-story white building, hence the name Xiaobailou); the No. 1 courtyard next to the Cadre Club is De Cuilin. The villa; the racecourse road and the racecourse were built with Li Shunde's investment; the British Club (formerly the Municipal People's Congress Office Building), Victoria Garden (now the Municipal Government Garden), and the Kailuan Minerals Bureau Office Building (the former Municipal Party Committee Office Building) are all owned by Lishunde Inextricably linked.

(In 1946, Li Shunde held a labor conference in Tianjin to commemorate the victory of the Allied Forces on August 15th. In front of the door were tricycles waiting for work)

Cao Yu's masterpiece " Many plot descriptions in "Thunderstorm" are related to the history of Lishunde. Mei Lanfang often stayed in Lishunde when he performed in Tianjin. Zhang Xueliang and Miss Zhao Si were also frequent visitors to Li Shunde, which shows Li Shunde's supreme status in Tianjin's upper class life. Lishunde was handed over to the Tianjin Municipal People's Government in March 1952.

(Letter handed over from Lishunde to Tianjin Municipal Government in 1952)