Measuring precisely 19.86 by 10.48 meters, the Former Site of Beihai Huilizhang Building claims a surprisingly modest footprint for a building that once anchored a transnational power structure in Beihai. Erected around 1905, this two-story, 206-square-meter structure served as the administrative and residential headquarters for the regional Anglican church. The architecture embodies the dual role of its occupant, requiring a careful spatial division between the public duties of church administration and the private life of a foreign cleric stationed thousands of miles from home. From these rooms, the Archdeacon managed the expanding reach of the missions across the coastal region, overseeing land disputes, personnel assignments, and a growing congregation.

The building absorbed the profound political shocks of the early twentieth century. During 1926, a fierce anti-imperialist movement swept through Beihai, forcing the colonial establishment to adapt. Responding to the mounting pressure, the foreign-led Anglican Church rebranded itself as the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui—the Chinese Anglican Church. Chinese congregants were finally admitted into the formal management hierarchy.

This localization of the church structure functioned primarily as a diplomatic concession. Inside the Archdeacon's office, the actual machinery of power remained firmly in foreign hands. European clergy maintained strict control over the treasury, directed the flow of mission funds, and dictated all ecclesiastical policy. The physical reality of the Archdeacon’s House reflects this unequal arrangement. It captures a specific historical moment when foreign institutions learned to adopt local identities to survive the rising tide of Chinese nationalism.

Today, the Former Archdeacon’s House survives as an artifact of bureaucratic authority. Its preserved rooms invite visitors to consider the mechanics of historical power and negotiation. The structure maps the administrative reality of colonial history, showing how sweeping international changes and local resistance ultimately played out over the ledgers and desks of a coastal port city.