China history: abandoned ‘haunted house’ restored to former East-meets-West architectural glory
- A restoration project has reinstated an architecturally important building constructed more than 100 years ago by a British merchant in southwestern China
- Built in 1896, the structure stands on the banks of the Yangtze River in Chongqing and showcases a fusion of Chinese and Western design styles
A historic building in Chongqing in southwestern China, constructed more than 100 years ago during a time of foreign influence in Chinese architecture, has been restored as part of a bid to preserve the city’s Western heritage.
The abandoned building which once was the headquarters of a British merchant was abandoned many decades ago and forgotten as trees and vines took over and surrounding mansions sprang up and obscured the site from public view.
Si Wei, a member of Chongqing Municipality’s historical building restoration team which led the effort to restore the building, said when he first saw the structure it was completely forgotten and run down.
“It was covered by trees and grass and pretty much looked like a haunted house,” he told the Global Times.
The building dates back to 1896 and was built on the banks of the Yangtze River in Chongqing, southwestern China, by British merchant Archibald John Little. Little was an enterprising merchant who braved the journey up the Three Gorges Valley to build his trading empire in Chongqing.
Little erected the building as the headquarters for his business, Little & Co. It was used for the storage and distribution of a wide variety of food goods.
The building is decorated with intricate carvings of cabbages in the Hui style and features wall art portraying animals like bats and sculptures of produce like pumpkins, peaches and persimmons.
