Historical Evolution of Baroque Architecture in Harbin

At the end of 19, the construction of the Middle East railway and the navigation of the Songhua River attracted a large number of foreigners and foreign capital, making it rapidly develop into a metropolis in the Far East. At that time, nangang district in Harbin and Daoli District on the west side of the Middle East Railway belonged to Russia, and large-scale urban construction run by "foreigners" began to rise-Art Nouveau, Baroque, Classicism, Renaissance and Eclectic Architecture appeared one after another.

In the 1920s, the grown-up national capitalists landed in the hinterland of Daowai, and the enthusiasm and prosperity of Baroque architecture just catered to their psychology of "showing off their wealth", copying the gorgeous western-style buildings opposite them and transforming them with ornaments with China traditional characteristics. So a series of "Baroque" facades with auspicious patterns of China appeared, such as bats, pomegranates, golden toads and peonies. In view of the business model of "front shop and back factory", the traditional quadrangles in China are applied to buildings as "living and storage spaces". Later, this style was named "China Baroque" by a Japanese scholar named Yasuhiko Nishizawa.

In Harbin, Baroque architecture in China is concentrated in Daowai District. Why are such buildings all lined up outside the road? Li, a researcher at the Jewish Studies Center of Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences and the author of the Chronicle of Harbin History, believes that this is closely related to Harbin's special historical experience. [2]

/kloc-At the end of 0/9, the construction of the Middle East Railway and the navigation of Songhua River made Harbin an important transportation hub in Northeast China, and the opening of Harbin attracted a large number of foreigners and foreign capital. With its important geographical location and special historical environment, Harbin has rapidly developed from several villages into a metropolis in the Far East. At that time, nangang district in Harbin and Daoli District on the west side of the Middle East Railway belonged to Russia. After the inflow of foreigners and foreign capital, large-scale urban construction began to emerge here-Western buildings such as Art Nouveau, Baroque, Classicism, Renaissance and Eclecticism settled in Daoli District and nangang district.

On the east side of the Middle East Railway, Daowai District, which is opposite to Daoli District where foreigners are concentrated, has become the cradle of the rise of China's national industry and commerce because it has not been included in the sphere of Russian influence. After the inflow of foreign capital, immigrants from Shandong and Hebei provinces flocked to Daowai District, formerly known as "Fujiadian", to visit relatives and friends, invest in partnerships and open commercial shops. These people not only have the spirit of hard work and hard work, but also have a relatively open mind, which laid the ideological foundation for their later acceptance of western art.

According to the records of Daowai District, when the Russo-Japanese War broke out in 1904, Harbin became the main rear base of the Russian army, and the transportation of military materials and grain increased continuously, and a number of small factories and workshops in various industries came into being. Most of these factories were built by Russians. After the war stopped, there was overproduction. Some factories built by Russians closed down and were bought by China. The scope of China's national capitalists to set up factories is gradually expanding.

After the First World War, the imperialist powers were busy coping with the war, and the national industrialists and businessmen outside the Taoist temple made great progress. 1919 Around the 1920s, the national capital developed and grew, and the growing national capitalists demanded higher quality and grade commercial and residential areas. At this time, many national capitalists are really excited and encouraged by the magnificent or exquisite western-style buildings in Daoli District on the other side of the railway.