China’s Foreign Office in Buildings

First there was the Tsungli Yamen, founded in 1861, pictured here in 1878, on Dongtangzi Hutong in Doncheng….(wonderfully it is still there and in good order-ish)…

Then came the Foreign Office (Waiwubu) in 1901 – China didn’t have much choice as this change was mandated in the Boxer Protocols (article XII) – this also meant a new, grander, more European building…

And then, jumping a few other buildings in the rather chaotic times, the PRC built its own Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building in Chaoyang…regular readers will know that I could not possibly comment on a building such as this, it would be far too aesthetically painful!