Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum after renovation

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- There is a must-visit place on Nanbin Road now. Recently, Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum, located on Nanbin Road, was opened, attracting many people to have a visit. Do you want to uncover the secret of the southern relocation of cultural relics of the Palace Museum? What are the highlights and what to do here? The reporter from Chongqing Evening News made a visit.

Architecture with a soul that remembers history

Architecture has a soul, remembers history and bears witness to the great years. The reporter revisited this history before going to the Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum.

The reporter learned from its Wechat Official Account that after the fall of Shanhaiguan on January 31, 1933, the Council of the Palace Museum decided to transport some of the Palace’s cultural relics out of Beiping in batches. On the evening of February 6 when the whole city of Beiping was under martial law, the first batch of cultural relics of the Palace Museum moved south from the Meridian Gate, and one of the largest relocations of cultural relics in human history - the southern relocation of cultural relics of the Palace Museum officially started.

In May 1938, in the process of the southern relocation of cultural relics of the Palace Museum, more than 9,000 boxes of cultural relics were transported from Hankou to Chongqing in three addresses, one of which was the four warehouses of Andersen Foreign Firm in Nan’an District of Chongqing, where a total of 3,694 boxes of cultural relics were stored. From January 1946 to March 1947, relics stored in Baxian, Leshan and Emei were successively concentrated in Nan’an District of Chongqing. From May to December 1947, all the cultural relics moved from Haitangxi Wharf in Nan’an District of Chongqing to Nanjing.

To this end, based on this history, to “the southern relocation of cultural relics of the Palace Museum” as the historical lineage, the protection of the former site as the mission, the Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum is located at the former site of Andersen Foreign Firm on Nanbin Road, Nan’an District, Chongqing.

The former site of the Memorial Museum built in 1891

It is learned that originally built in 1891, Andersen Foreign Firm was built in successive by different builders, starting as offices and warehouses for a Swedish trading company. It consists of eight buildings with a floor area of approximately 2,700 square meters, and the famous Chinese architect Zhang Yonghe was invited to restore and renovate the former buildings.

What is the new face of the restored and renovated Andersen Foreign Firm? Recently, the reporter took Rail Transit Line 6, got off at Shangxinjie Station and transferred Bus 338, arrived at Zishui Xiaodeng Stop after one stop, and then walked for more than 100 meters to reach the destination. At first glance, the reporter was attracted by the old-style building, with its rammed earth and yellow walls, green stones and grey tiles, which, like Ciyun Temple next to it, exudes the heavy smell of history.

The reporter saw that the eight buildings inside Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum contain premises such as Corner Tower Café, Digital Palace, Palace Classroom, Book Bar of the Forbidden City Press, Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum, and Themed Post Office of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum. Built on a hill facing the Yangtze River, the Memorial Museum stands on the path between the buildings of the Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum and offers a superb view of Yuzhong Peninsula, Raffles City, Dongshuimen Bridge and the river.

Palace Corner Tower Cafe in Chongqing

At present, the eight buildings of the Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum and the surrounding environment have been largely repaired and renovated, although the renovation of the interior of the buildings has yet to be completed. In addition to the Photo Exhibition of Historical Sites “Chongqing in Modern Open Vision” which is divided into three sections, “The Forced Opening of the Commercial Port”, “The Arrival of the Western Church in the East” and “Wartime Diplomacy”, the internet-famous Corner Tower Cafe, the Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum and the bookstore are yet to open. The staff told the reporter that the entire Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum is expected to be fully completed in February this year.

There are some highlights you can’t miss. The first is Corner Tower Cafe, which brings the Forbidden City’s cultural and creative IP out of the Forbidden City for the first time, incorporating elements of the Forbidden City, southern relocation of cultural relics and Chongqing culture.

The second is the Book Bar, situated halfway up the hill from the Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum. Inside the Book Bar, the original appearance of the centuries-old building has been preserved, with exposed stone walls and round wooden windows echoing the history of the Forbidden City on the bookshelves; sitting here with a cup of coffee from Corner Tower Cafe will give you a unique flavor.

It’s worth noting that after you exit the Memorial Museum of the Southern Relocation of Cultural Relics of the Palace Museum, you can also visit Ciyun Temple, Zishui XiaoDeng and Longmenhao Old Street for a full day of fun. (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)