Train Station Architecture, 1919-2019

The participants of Mapping Design at China Academy of Art gave us an insight into the history of Chinese railway station architecture. Here, we share with you a selection of eight highlights from the last one hundred years.

1. Jilin West Railway Station, 1928. The earliest on our list, and the only to be designed (as far as it is possible to tell) by a woman, Huiying Lin, who was also a poet and writer.

2. Dalian Railway Station, 1937. Designed by Sotaro Ota of the Manchurian Railway Co., who took influence from the Tokyo Ueno Station.

3. Meihekou Station, 1949. Located in Tonghua City, this station took over 20 years to complete, its construction having started in 1927.

4. Beijing Railway Station, 1959. Designed by Yang Tingbao and Chen Deng'ao as one of the 'Ten Great Buildings' to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Completed in just seven months, the constructed was considered a miracle in the architectural world, and was also the largest train station in China at the time.

5. Guangzhou Station, 1974. Although begun in 1960, construction was suspended during The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, resuming in 1972.

6. Old Shijiazhuang Station, 1987. Having operated since 1903, the station was rebuilt in the 1980s, when China was at the peak of its infrastructure construction. It was demolished in 2010 to make way for the New Shijizhuang Station in 2012.

7. Changchun New Railway Station, 1994. Whilst the station has been in operation since 1907, the new station building was constructed in 1994 to meet the demands of a population on the move.

8. Tangshan New Station, 2013. Having operated since the 1880s, Tangshan is the oldest railway station in China. After significant damage sustained as a result of an earthquake in 1976, the Tangshan New Station was completed in 2013.