Legation Street Just Prior to the Boxers

This picture, an old postcard, I came across recently claims to be a picture of Peking’s Legation Street (now Dongjiaominxiang) just prior to the Boxer attacks in 1900. This shows a far less developed Legation Quarter than after the rebuilding that followed the 1900 Siege. This shot appears to be facing to the west and the building on the right is the French Legation with the trademark statues at the entrance (still there, see below, despite the former Legation being Chinese government offices now). After rebuilding the statues remained though the entry gate became far more impressive (and impregnable). The splendid tree is now long gone, presumably to make way for the French (International) Post Office building which remains today as a rather shabby Sichuan restaurant but a great structure. The structure opposite is the German Legation while the building in the distance to the right is, I think, the original Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank building.

Several other things worth noticing are obviosuly the foreign soldier on horseback and the foreign soldier on guard outside the French Legation. There are probably more Chinese on the street than might have been expected after 1900 when it became more difficult for Chinese to enter and move around the Legation Quarter without good reason. In fact the photographer here is probably standing outside what was then, on the left of the picture and adjacent to the German Legation, a small park (or gardens) and some Chinese style and occupied houses as well as the original location of the Peking Club. These were swept away after 1900 becoming the Belgian Legation for a time around 1912. The final thing worth noting is that telegraph wires and poles had already come to the Legation Quarter.