From Telephone Exchange to Bank Branch to Hotel – The Fengtian Automatic Telephone Exchange Building, Shenyang

Posted: September 11th, 2026 | No Comments »

A Bank of China branch, Shenyang, I photographed in August 2004. Housed in a fantastic modernist building.

The former site of the Fengtian Automatic Telephone Exchange Building is located at No. 34 Taiyuan Street, Heping District, Shenyang City, and was built in 1928. Designed in 1927 by the Civil Engineering Department of the former Kwantung Government’s Internal Affairs Bureau, the three-story reinforced concrete structure was listed as an immovable cultural relic of Shenyang City in 2004 and upgraded to a protected cultural relic unit of Shenyang City in 2008, with a designated protection area and construction control zone.

The building’s facade is divided into three sections with dense vertical lines, blending Western retro architecture with traditional Chinese architectural features, while retaining some Western decorative patterns. It belongs to the Japanese modern architectural style.

In 2024, the building was converted into a hotel. The conversion process followed the relevant requirements for cultural relic protection. It’s not the Jianli Guji Hotel.

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