Jin men Shu Xiang? The earliest foreign-related hotel in Tianjin

(overlooking Lishunde, 1886)

Due to geographical reasons, Tianjin, which is adjacent to the Bohai Sea in the west, has been a fortress for overseas visitors to enter North China and Northeast China for more than a thousand years since the Han and Tang Dynasties. After the Six Dynasties made Beijing its capital, Tianjin became the gateway to the first good area at the foot of the Emperor. Therefore, it is known as Jinmen and Gushang.

(an oil painting depicting Lishunde when it was first built)

After Tianjin was opened, it became one of the top ten foreign trade ports in China. From then on, the commercial flag followed the cross closely, like a flood that burst its banks from west to east, missionaries, businessmen and tourists sat on a sea boat and came across the sea by ladder. They became the earliest pioneers and gold prospectors of foreign religion and trade in modern Tianjin.

(the old photo of Lishunde in 199)

In "Miscellanies of Jinmen", it says: "The middle place is the British Concession, the East River is the destination, and the West Yihai Avenue is the destination. The streets are wide and flat, the houses are neat, and the trees along the road are lush. Pedestrians and ants gather in bee huts, goods are piled up like mountains, and cars, donkeys and horses are used all night. The wires are connected into a spider web, and the street lamps are lined with stars, which is very well made and elegant. It is just like a small Shanghai. " It is in this situation that merchants gather and guests flock here that Lishunde Hotel, the earliest foreign-related hotels in Tianjin and even China came into being.

(Tai Long Stamp of Qing Dynasty issued by Li Shunde)

In the spring of p>1863, Yin Sende, a priest of English Christian Sanctuary Church who had been preaching in Tianjin for two years, imitated other British businessmen, and signed a "royal lease" for subletting the land with Gibson, the representative of the Queen of England in Tianjin, and bought a piece of land. Later, civilian workers were hired to build a simple British Indian style bungalow at the southernmost tip of the land, which was used as a warehouse, foreign firm, hotel and restaurant. It was the embryonic form of Lishunde Hotel, known as "mud house" and "old house".

("Lishun (Germany)" warship built by Lishunde to Beiyang Navy in the Sino-Japanese War)

Twenty-three years later, in 1886, De Cuilin, the chairman of the Ministry of Industry of the British Concession, the tax department of Tianjin Customs, and the shareholder of Lishunde Hotel, a British German, rebuilt a building with an area of 3,2 square meters and a construction area of 6,2 square meters on its old site, with a local flavor of western Europe. It stood tall in Tianjin, and remained the most magnificent building in Tianjin until the beginning of the 2th century. Lishunde's store emblem is "sea water carries a sea boat", and Lishunde's name means "seeking profit and conformity only with morality", which reflects the original intention of building the store.

(English brochure of Lishunde in the Republic of China)

At the beginning of the hotel's construction, Detrin, the chairman of the British Concession Works Bureau, was taken care of by Li Hongzhang, then governor of Zhili, during her stay in Tianjin. In order to thank him for his kindness, Lishunde Hotel was also called "Governor's Hotel".

(Silver tableware customized by Lishunde in Britain)

At that time, the main building of Lishunde was three stories high, arranged along the street, protruding out of the semi-basement outside the main building, forming the base of the whole building and the balcony on the first floor. There are watchtowers on the second and third floors. The whole building has a brisk and lively facade, with Victoria Park in the west and Haihe River in the east. It has a beautiful environment and has the style of European pastoral architecture.

(Furniture customized by Lishunde from Italy)

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

(Lobby, Grand Ballroom, VIP Room and Western Restaurant in Lishunde, 1926)

In p>1924, after the north side wall of the building built in 1886 was demolished, a four-story brick-wood mixed structure building of about 2,5 square meters was built. The whole plane is E-shaped, and a ballroom of 43 square meters and a restaurant of 15 square meters have been expanded. A hall, a service desk and a bar have been added. Add 4 guest rooms.

(Interior of Lishunde Guest Room)

A reporter from Russian Frontier Daily wrote: "When I arrived in Tianjin on May 21, 191, I went to Astor Hotel (namely Lishunde), and I stayed in a cheaper room on the third floor, with a daily meal fee of eight dollars (eight roubles). The floor is carpeted, the ceiling is decorated with shapes, there is a marble bathroom, an electric bell, a balcony with rattan loungers. At eight o'clock in the morning, the young Chinese waiter in a foreign country told me the opening time of three meals. The bar is open all day, beer is one dollar per bottle and champagne is five dollars per bottle. "

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

The famous foreign guests staying here are former American presidents Hoover and Grant, former US Secretary of State Costa, former Japanese Prime Minister Ito Bowen and former Myanmar Prime Minister.

(old elevator in Lishunde)

In July and October of p>1863, Danish and Dutch envoys signed the China-Denmark Treaty and the China-Netherlands Treaty with the government of China in Lishunde, and granted MFN status. The Treaty of Reconciliation and Trade between China and Brazil, the Sino-French Treaty of Tianjin, the Annan Charter of Border Trade and the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Tianjin were all signed here, which witnessed that complicated history.

(Lishunde's old Japanese barber chair)

In recognition of the contribution of Deshulin, the builder of Lishunde, to the internal affairs, diplomacy, military affairs and economy of modern China, the Qing government issued a decree by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1896, and Li Hongzhang made an exception and announced that it was awarded a flower feather with a top. You know, China's feudal court awarded a seal to foreigners, which is equivalent to the first-class official title of Deputy Prime Minister of the State Council today, which is unique in the history of China.

(Lishunde old telephone)

Lishunde also extended its economic tentacles to many fields in Tianjin, such as: 1. Funded the establishment of Beiyang Military Department (Yuan Shikai's command of the army was arranged by the hotel shareholders). 2. Establish and operate Kailuan Coal Mine. 3. Establish Tianjin Gas Company and Dagu Barge Company. 4. Invest in the construction of the battleship Lishun (Germany). 5. Open Beijing-Tianjin long-distance telephone lines. 6. Dredge the Haihe River, cut the bay and straighten it, and improve the navigation capacity. 7. Invest in the construction of Five Avenue. 8. Presided over the issuance of Dalong stamps in the Qing Dynasty. 9. Open China Times, the first newspaper in Tianjin. 1. Invest in the establishment of "Tunna College" (predecessor of Beiyang University), and so on.

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

In addition, many buildings in Tianjin are closely related to Lishunde, such as "Xiaobailou", a "discipline hall" for British and American sailors to stop drinking (named after it is a two-story white building); The first courtyard next to the cadre club is De Cuilin's villa; Racecourse Road and Racecourse are funded by Lishunde; The British Club (formerly the office building of the Municipal People's Congress), Victoria Garden (now the garden of the municipal government) and the office building of Kailuan Bureau of Minerals (formerly the office building of the municipal party committee) are all inextricably linked with Lishunde.

(In 1946, a conference was held in Shunde, Tianjin to commemorate the victory of the August 15th Allied Forces, in front of which was a tricycle waiting for work)

Many plots described in Cao Yu's masterpiece Thunderstorm are related to the history of Shunde. Mei Lanfang performs in Tianjin and often stays in Lishunde. Zhang Xueliang and Miss Zhao Si are also frequent visitors to Lishunde, which shows Lishunde's supreme position in Tianjin's upper life. Lishunde was handed over to Tianjin Municipal People's Government in March 1952.

(Letter handed over by Li Shunde to Tianjin Municipal Government in 1952)