Page 126 - JCAU-6-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Bank of China’s modern buildings

(iii) The unified ownership of most selected buildings all approach. It proposes adopting a serial cultural heritage
by Bank of China Limited (except for the two in approach to interconnect modern buildings scattered across
Hong Kong, which are legally separated) enables the country (Figure 1). Moreover, considering Bank of
the integration of resources from a master planning China’s modern buildings’ attributes as part of financial sector
perspective. This structure ensures that the heritage, we draw upon a value analysis framework developed
research outcomes can feasibly inform architectural by the Heritage Lottery Fund in the United Kingdom (UK),
revitalization and display needs in the future. in partnership with the Demos Research and Policy Center
The authors conducted a survey of each of these banks in the United States (US), to comprehensively enhance the
based on this directory. The specific work carried out includes: effectiveness of its adaptive utilization (Clark & Maeer,
(i) Data collection: Collecting historical archives, 2008). This approach involves examining the intrinsic
documents, historical photographs, and old value, instrumental value, and institutional value of these
architectural design drawings. buildings, thereby identifying core values and developing a
(ii) Architectural mapping: Mapping and photographing revitalization framework (Figure 2).
important buildings where survey maps were absent. 2.3.2. Adoption of the “value-based thematic
(iii) Oral interviews: Engaging in interviews with interpretation” approach
experienced senior staff to compensate for narrative
gaps in the archives. Thematic interpretation, a well-established approach
(iv) Functional analysis: Documenting and comparing the to heritage interpretation (ICOMOS, 2008), simplifies
historical and current functions of the building. heritage values into understandable, digestible themes
(v) To study the history and development pattern of for visitors. Building a thematic framework involves
Chinese bank buildings, the authors collected data interpreting the core values of the heritage in layers,
from field surveys and discussed the characteristics of typically structured with a primary theme at the top,
these buildings from multiple perspectives, including several sub-themes circling the main theme, and a series
building distribution, construction timeline, of stories categorized under various sub-themes (Figure 3).
architectural style, and current functionalities. The Bank of China’s modern buildings are rich in
2.3. Analysis methods historical narratives. Leveraging the above research
methodology allows us to distill historical values ingrained
2.3.1. Adoption of a “serial cultural heritage” approach in these architectural heritages. This process aids in
The concept of serial cultural heritage emerges from the formulating future planning schemes for interpreting the
Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the values of the Bank of China’s buildings (Figure 4).
Convention Concerning the Protection of the World
Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO, 1980). It denotes 3. History of the Bank of China
a category of heritage comprising multiple sites that share The Bank of China, a national financial institution,
common meanings and values (Poshyanandana, 2019). was originally established as a commercial bank. Its
This approach resolves constraints in the conservation, name reflects pivotal historical events it bore witness to,
utilization, and management of intrinsically related including the fall of the Qing government and the birth of
heritage resources due to geographical separation or the Republic of China. These events fundamentally shaped
different resource types. the bank’s trajectory, business scope, and functional role.
The Bank of China’s modern building resources span 3.1. Budding period: The central bank of the Qing
various regions of the nation, deeply intertwined with the dynasty (1905–1912)
country’s overall historical development. Assessing the
value of individual buildings in isolation fails to establish The Bank of the Treasury, founded in Beijing in August
a coherent linkage between these structures and their of 1905, served as the precursor to the Bank of China. By
collective relationship with modern history. This failure February 1908, it transformed into the Bank of the Qing
results in an incomplete representation of their symbolic Dynasty, assuming the role of a central bank. By 1911,
values and impedes a comprehensive understanding of the Bank of the Qing Dynasty had expanded to establish
their historical backgrounds and geographic significance. 35 branches in provincial capitals and entry ports, thus
becoming the most extensive bank in the late Qing dynasty
Therefore, recognizing the uniqueness of the Bank
of China’s modern buildings and their distinctive role as (Editing Committee of the History of Bank of China, 1995).
financial sector heritage, this paper advocates deviating In 1912, Dr Sun Yat-sen (1866‒1925) approved the
from traditional conservation paradigms of a one-size-fits- transformation of the Bank of the Qing Dynasty into the

Volume 6 Issue 2 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2166