Introduction to Heritage Site
Fanpo Mansion, built in the 1920s, was a Western-style building built by Filipino overseas Chinese Xu Jingquan of Jinjiang native for his mother. Built on a site of 1,600 square meters, it is in colonial veranda style with Amoy Deco style elements. The main entrance of the courtyard is situated on Anhai Road to the south. The buildings inside the courtyard are a main building and an annex building in the northeast. Aligned northwest-southeast, the main building is two-story high with a square plane which is 20 meters in breadth and 21 meters in depth. The back of the building is connected with a two-story building of a straight line layout. The two sides of the building protrude from the outer walls of the main building and the roof is a veranda balcony with fences. It is surrounded by red-brick Neo-Renaissance verandas with contrasting dressed stone used in the arches and corner quoins, creating a brilliant color effect. This practice is probably influenced by the beautiful red-brick architecture of the Victorian era in the U.K., which often uses combined red and white, as is also commonly seen in traditional red-brick houses in South Fujian. The relief carvings on the exterior faces represent a variety of Chinese and Western subjects; it is said that there was once a portrait of a Queen among them. The Western-style arch courtyard gate is a large iron gate and the decorations on the two sides follow ancient Greece's Corinthian concrete pillars. The arch is inscribed with images such as grass, branches and flying birds carrying copper coins. Beside the gate is a small iron gate for usual exit and entrance. The steps of the aisle inside the courtyard follow an upward direction and are connected to the entrance of the main building by segments. Elements of the Chinese garden such as rockery, landscaped windows with bamboo views and a small bandstand are built on the two sides in accordance with the terrain. The garden also exhibits the integration of Chinese and Western cultures; for instance, the wrought-iron gates are in Western-style, whereas, on the western stretch of the enclosing wall, there are Chinese traditional latticed windows and a Chinese rockery imitating a karst cave, resembling Baroque counterparts in Europe. The Fanpo Mansion is representative of the homes built by overseas Chinese in the first half of the 20th century, and is a valuable example of cultural fusion indicating the close ties between Kulangsu and the world outside.
Contact Us
Person (Unit) in Charge for the Safety of Cultural Heritages:
Mr. Li
Contact:
13328300023
Hotline for Supervision and Report:
Administrative Committee of Xiamen Gulangyu-Wanshishan Scenic Area
0592-2090395
Supervised by:
Administrative Committee of Xiamen Gulangyu-Wanshishan Scenic Area