Anshan Manchu Public School

In 1919, builders in Anshan raised a red-brick, Russian-style hospital to treat workers from the nearby ironworks. Located in Sumiyoshi-cho, west of the railway, this two-story structure began its long, shifting relationship with the city's industrial landscape. By 1927, rising pollution from the furnaces forced the hospital to relocate, and the building found a new purpose. It became the Manchu Public School, an educational institution operated under the South Manchuria Railway for local Chinese and Manchurian students.

The building's physical structure reflects these layers of human activity. Step inside, and the scent of aged red pine beams still lingers in the air. Narrow windows filter the sunlight, illuminating the solid wood flooring that creaks underfoot. Your hands slide over the same smooth wooden handrails touched by generations of students, patients, and soldiers. During the war, Japanese artillery troops occupied the halls, converting the school into a military garrison.

Following the birth of the People's Republic of China, the building transitioned to civilian administration. In the early 1950s, workers from the Anshan Construction Company and the Furnace Construction Company shared the office spaces. By 1957, the building served as the headquarters for the Anshan Iron and Steel Sintering Plant. When structural reinforcement was carried out in 1976, engineers wrapped the exterior walls with heavy concrete support pillars, adding a rugged, modern layer to the original brickwork.

Today, the 2,600-square-meter building remains active. It serves as the administrative headquarters for the Security and People's Armed Forces Department of Anshan Iron and Steel. In 2019, the State Council recognized its historical value, designating it a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.