A Possible Heritage Win in China for Once – Kalgan Railway Station

The old railway station in Zhangjiakou (formerly Kalgan) closed last July. It’s future at that point became a little unclear. However, Zhangjiakou’s city government has apparently applied to become a world heritage site. This may seem a bit excessive for a fairly small railway station building but a) getting the UNESCO involved might be a better way to preserve the site than a locally-ordained heritage listing (anyone in Beijing or Shanghai will know how worthless these have proved and b) Zhangjiakou’s cadres, like cadres all over China, are keen to have UNESCO sites in their bailiwicks and to be honest, there ain’t much else from the period to preserve in the town.

The station was built in 1909 as the end point of the Peking-Kalgan railway, a Chinese built, funded and operated railway line (while many were financed by overseas bonds and operated by various foreign entities) that was constructed between 1905-1909. Kalgan (and the word Kalgan is still on the old station) is the route up to Russia and the Tea Road. It once attracted all manner of people on the run, gun running and smuggling as well as expeditions (I’ve blogged previously about Kalgan’s Mongol Gate and Pioneer Inn).

The old station (as above) had become known as the north station with a new (at least new in 1957 and quite sort of Mongol-Modernist!) is now used called the south station.

I’m not sure what is included in the listing application to UNESCO – obviously the ticket office building but also, hopefully, the passenger platforms with wrought iron coverings along the platform (if they are indeed still there – they were in 2010 as below, but now?). Below you can see the platform adjacent to a new and typically white lavatory tile Chinese structure. The second picture below shows the rear of the station building proper and its relation to the platforms.