渝中城市舊貌。 插圖/歐陽(yáng)樺

1891年4月1日，英國(guó)領(lǐng)事館在渝中區(qū)民生路正式設(shè)立，重慶有了第一座外國(guó)領(lǐng)事館。1900年，英國(guó)領(lǐng)事館遷移至渝中區(qū)七星崗領(lǐng)事巷，隨即在政治、經(jīng)濟(jì)、社會(huì)、文化等方面開(kāi)展了多種形式的活動(dòng)，對(duì)重慶乃至西南地區(qū)的對(duì)外開(kāi)放產(chǎn)生了巨大影響。

這座位于領(lǐng)事巷的建筑是一座別致小樓，正立面連續(xù)的拱形回廊延續(xù)了英國(guó)在遠(yuǎn)東殖民地建筑的一貫風(fēng)格。在通風(fēng)庇蔭的回廊，可以俯瞰長(zhǎng)江。該建筑現(xiàn)今已不在。據(jù)該館歷史資料記錄，建筑的后院曾覆蓋了大片草坪，附近還建有網(wǎng)球場(chǎng)。

1939年為躲避日軍轟炸，英國(guó)領(lǐng)事館被迫搬遷至長(zhǎng)江南岸的南山。39年間，前后共有34位英國(guó)總領(lǐng)事在此任職，這里成為重慶近代歷史上使用時(shí)間最長(zhǎng)的一座領(lǐng)事館。

On April 1, 1891, the British Consulate-General was officially established as Chongqing’s first foreign consulate on Minsheng Road, Yuzhong District. In 1900, the consulate-general moved to the Lingshi Lane in Qixinggang, Yuzhong District, and immediately launched various activities in politics, economy, society and culture, which had a great impact on the opening up of Chongqing and even the southwest China.

The building located at Lingshi Lane was building. The continuous arched corridor on the front facade represents the traditional style of British colonial buildings in the Far East. From the well-ventilated and shaded cloister, you can overlook the Yangtze River. According to the museum's historical records, the backyard of the building was once covered with a large lawn, and tennis courts were also built nearby.

In 1939, to avoid the Japanese bombing, the British Consulate-General was forced to move to Nanshan on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. During the following 39 years, 34 British Consuls-Generals have worked here, making it the longest serving consulate in Chongqing's modern history.

Only a few know that this consulate was once the temporary residence of the British embassy. With the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chongqing became the command center of the anti-fascist battlefield in the Far East. Embassies of many countries moved to Chongqing, including the British embassy. As no suitable place was found, the British embassy could only be temporarily located in the consulate, where the then British ambassador to China, Sir Archibald Clark Kerr also worked.

In that war, the British Consulate-General suffered heavy losses, with more than 10 Japanese bombing attacks and heavy damage to its houses and property. Five staff members were injured during the bombings and more than 20 Chinese employees were injured.

鮮為人知的是，這座領(lǐng)事館當(dāng)年曾是英國(guó)大使館的臨時(shí)駐地。隨著抗戰(zhàn)的爆發(fā)，重慶成為整個(gè)遠(yuǎn)東反法西斯戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)的指揮中心，各國(guó)大使館紛紛遷駐重慶，其中便包括英國(guó)大使館。由于沒(méi)有找到合適的地方，英國(guó)大使館只能臨時(shí)設(shè)在領(lǐng)事館內(nèi)，當(dāng)時(shí)的英國(guó)駐華大使阿希爾德·卡爾爵士也曾在此工作。

在那場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中，英國(guó)領(lǐng)事館損失慘重，遭遇日軍10余次轟炸，其房屋、財(cái)物毀損慘重，先后有5名工作人員被炸傷，20余名中國(guó)雇員受傷。