Former Site of the U.S. Navy YMCA in Hankou

The walls of No. 10 Lihuangpi Road are built of Hanyang iron-sand bricks—a material made from steel slag, giving it exceptional density and durability. Constructed by the Kangshengji Construction Firm between 1913 and 1915, this five-story brick-and-timber structure served as a recreation center for American sailors stationed along the Yangtze River.

Inside these 1,546.99 square meters of brick and wood, young sailors played billiards, danced, and socialized. Local Chinese performers were invited to stage theatrical performances and Beijing opera for the entertainment of the sailors. During the catastrophic Yangtze River flood of 1931, the building became a crowded shelter and relief coordination center. Between 1937 and 1938, as war approached, volunteers gathered here to collect war relief donations and distribute anti-war propaganda, before the Japanese military requisitioned the property.

Architecturally, the building blends Neoclassical style with Baroque decorative elements. Its symmetrical facade features a three-section vertical composition. Visitors ascend a steep central staircase to reach the main entrance on the second floor, flanked by double Ionic columns. Above, the verandas on the third and fourth floors feature decorative bottle-shaped balustrades, all capped by a heavy mansard roof.

In October 1949, the property was transferred to the Wuhan YMCA. Decades later, in 2014, U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus walked up these same steps to inspect the historic site. Today, the English inscription "YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION" remains clearly visible on the lintel—a tangible link to the building's original purpose. The structure stands as a quiet reminder of early twentieth-century Sino-American encounters on this historic street corner.