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Rambling around the Dongshankou (东山口) historic block in Yuexiu district of Guangzhou, you may encounter a number of buildings with distinctive designs, which used to be residences of overseas Chinese.

Come with SilkRoadPost to take a glance at them.

Jian Yuan 简园

Jian Yuan, located on No. 13 Peizheng Lu (培正路), comprises a three-storey reinforced concrete building with European architectural style, a fountain, as well as a flower garden. Jian, derives from the family name of an overseas Chinese businessman Jian Qinshi, who was the head of the Guangzhou branch of the Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company. The company was also where the famous cigarette brand Hongshuangxi (红双喜) stemmed from.

Jian Yuan is now the office of the Research Center For Ancient Building Protection, affiliated with the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Kui Yuan 逵园

Located on No. 9 Xuguyuan Lu (恤孤院路), Kui Yuan is a three-storey western-style building. Noticeably, an engraved inscription 1922 tells people its year of construction.

In 1922, an American overseas Chinese, Ma Zhuowen, financed to build Kui Yuan. At that time, the garden was named Kui (葵, pronounced the same as 逵 in Chinese, meaning sunflowers) Yuan because of the sunflowers planted in the yard. The inscription 1922 on the facade is an important reference for recognizing the site of the Third National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Now, Kui Yuan is a modish art gallery for artists to exhibit their craft and art pieces.

Yu Yuan 隅园

Yu Yuan is located on No. 42 Sibeitongjin (寺贝通津), and consists of two townhouses. It was designed and built by Wu Jingying, an overseas student who studied in the UK and served as the director of naval shipbuilding. Yu Yuan is distinguished by its East-meets-West design, i.e. a Western-style red-brick Shikumen (lane house) entrance together with a Chinese-style roof.

In addition to the above gardens, Dongshankou also has many western-style buildings built or designed by a batch of overseas Chinese. They are not only modern in appearance, but also contain the essence of advanced thinking and cultural heritage. The overseas Chinese of the time brought in advanced ideas and technology from abroad with a warm patriotic heart, contributing their wisdom to local area, as well as the city and even the country.

Sources & photos: 广州越秀发布, 南方+客户端

Author: Liu Liu