Residence Area of the Republic of China at Yihe Road

This site is not a single location, but rather a series of small areas where Republican-era houses – many of them better described as mansions – can be seen. While the urge to modernize via destruction and reconstruction is a powerful force here as elsewhere, this form of architecture has a number of vocal supporters in Nanjing, and many of the houses have been maintained in excellent condition.

The best way to see these areas is on foot, particularly as many of the streets are pleasantly shaded with sycamores. The walk north along Ninghai Road from its intersection with West Beijing Road leads through an area rich in Republican architecture, much of it hidden away down the alleys to either side.

Most of the buildings here are intact and still used as dwelling houses for ordinary Nanjing families, which is not open to the visitors.

If one instead strikes out west from that same intersection, the walk will be a bit drab at first, but a right turn on Xikang Road will lead to the Xikang Hotel, which at one point housed the U.S. embassy; inside there are several fine wooden balconies still intact, and outside there is an old stone fountain built into a slightly labyrinthine, vine-covered entrance made of brick and stone. Finally, there is a long stretch of such structures on the forty-fourth block of West Beijing Road, and the Nanjing University campus, located at 22 Hankou Street, contains a great many beautiful buildings from this period.