Decorative style of HSBC building

When the building of Shanghai HSBC Bank was completed, two bronze lions were ordered from England for geomantic reasons and placed in front of the building as town beasts. The two bronze lions were named after A. G. Stephen, then general manager of HSBC in Hong Kong, and G. H. Stitt, then general manager of Shanghai Branch. The sculptor is wagstaff and the actor is Zhou Yinxing. 1935, HSBC imitated these two bronze lions and cast two identical lions, which were placed in front of the new HSBC headquarters building in Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong.

194 1 year, Japan occupied Shanghai (concession) and Hong Kong. 1943 when the materials were tight, it tried to transport the bronze lions from the two places to Japan to recover copper. Two bronze lions of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, together with the bronze statues of Queen Victoria and Sir thomas jackson of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, were transported to Yokohama and stored in the wharf warehouse. They were discovered by American troops at 1945 and shipped back to Hong Kong under MacArthur's orders. Two bronze lions of Shanghai HSBC were sawed off by the Japanese army, but they were not removed. 1966, these two bronze lions were moved to the warehouse of Shanghai Comic Troupe by Shanghai Cultural Management Committee and handed over to Shanghai Museum in 1980s. 1997 Shanghai Pudong Development Bank hopes to move the original lion back to the front of the bank after obtaining the right to use the building of HSBC. After consultation, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank invested and cast two new bronze lions as they were. During the casting process, out of respect for history, the saw marks destroyed by the former Japanese army were also preserved and presented.

Above the octagonal hall of HSBC Building, there are eight original large murals inlaid with mosaics, and there are also zenith paintings of the zodiac, the sun god and the moon god on the dome. After 1955 HSBC withdrew from the building, these murals were covered with paint by maintenance personnel. 1October, 1997, 165438 were discovered by maintenance personnel, and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank funded the repair (but the logo of HSBC in the picture was changed to the logo of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank).

The eight murals are set in eight cities where HSBC has branches, and the patterns are as follows:

Shanghai: The main body of the design is the goddess of coastal defense in China, with the mythical figures symbolizing the Yangtze River and the East China Sea on both sides as the background and the Shanghai Bund as the background. Red flags are decorated on both sides of the bottom of the picture.

Hong Kong: The main body of the design is the goddess wearing the British flag. The figures in front symbolize the Pearl River and the South China Sea, holding a tablet with the Roman numeral MDCCCXLII, which means "1842", that is, the year when Hong Kong was ceded to Britain. The background is Hong Kong Island. The decorations are the Hong Kong colonial flag and the British pilot flag.

Tokyo: The main figure is the goddess symbolizing "learning", with figures symbolizing "progress" and "science" on both sides. The background is the moat outside Tokyo Palace, Shimonoseki Guanting complex and Mount Fuji. Ornaments for the Japanese flag and the royal flag.

London: The main figure is the goddess Britannia, and the figures in front symbolize the patron saints of London and Thames respectively. The background is the Thames, Westminster Palace and St Paul's Cathedral. Decorations of badges in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

New york: The main figure is the Statue of Liberty, and the positive figure is Hermes, the patron saint of commerce and communication, and the patron saint of the Federation. The decorations are the emblem of new york, the American flag and the eagle flag.

Bangkok: The main figure is the goddess symbolizing fertility and abundance, with the mythical figures symbolizing labor and harvest in front and the Chao Phraya River and Bangkok Palace in the background. The designs are the Thai flag, the royal flag, the national emblem and the royal emblem.

Paris: The protagonist is the French goddess holding the board of "Freedom, Equality and Fraternity". The figures in front are the goddess of victory and the protector of the Republic, with the Seine River and the city island as the background and lilies as the decoration.

Kolkata: The main figure is Kali, the patron saint of Kolkata, with the figure symbolizing the Ganges in front and the Ganges and downtown Kolkata in the background. The decorations are lotus, lion and egret.

The ceiling of the dome is painted with the patterns of the sun god, the moon god and the goddess of harvest, and the pattern of the zodiac is surrounded below. According to the Shanghai newspaper, Mr. Feng Shui was hired during the construction of the HSBC building, and the time and direction for breaking ground were chosen. According to the tradition of China, winnings and silver coins from all over the country are buried under the foundation, and specially cast "Liang Qian" is also placed in dark places such as beams and corners.