Site of the Former Xigu Airport on Jinpu Road

Site of the Former Xigu Airport on Jinpu Road

The site of the former Xigu Airport on Jinpu Road is a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin Municipality.

The site of the former Xigu Airport on Jinpu Road is located within the Tianjin Locomotive and Rolling Stock Machinery Plant, beside the old Jinpu railway line on the north bank of the Xin Kai River. It is a century-old factory, famously known as the Great Jinpu Factory.

In late 1910, the Beijing–Fengtian Railway and the Jinpu Railway held a ceremonial track connection event at Tianjin New Station. The Jinpu railway workshop was subsequently put into use to promptly maintain railway locomotives and equipment. Located within the German Concession, the buildings of the Great Jinpu Factory were all constructed by Germans, and the factory manager was also a German named Pavel. Thanks to its advanced equipment, the Great Jinpu Factory quickly established itself as China’s premier train repair facility. At the time, around 80% of all trains operating on Chinese tracks came here for repairs. To this day, the vehicle plant still preserves a factory building entirely built by Germans — the renowned Xigu Airport on Jinpu Road. Not far from this building lies a historic water tower with over 100 years of history, which remains well-preserved and in active use.

The site of the former Xigu Airport on Jinpu Road is located at No. 1 Nankou East Road, Hebei District, Tianjin. One existing factory building remains, formerly the Xigu Airport on Jinpu Road. This building was constructed by Germans in 1909 and served as an important hub for locomotive and rolling stock repairs in China at the time.

The existing factory building shown in the photo was the machine repair workshop at the time. With its full array of arched doors and windows, four tall, upright load-bearing columns, and classic-colored bricks, along with its double-pitched steel roof truss structure and exterior walls finished in antique-style brick, the building features upper and lower layers of differently sized arched windows. These elements not only provide structural support but also add rich layering to the building’s façade. It stands as an important and valuable architectural heritage of China’s modern industrial history. The building is 12 meters high and covers an area of 4,000 square meters, adding a unique charm to the factory complex.

This “German-made” structure of the Great Jinpu Factory has recently been restored, becoming an important testament to the former glory of the Jinpu Railway.

On January 25, 2008, it was listed by the Tianjin Municipal People’s Government as a key protected historical architectural landmark.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Tianjin