The Modern Architectural Complex of the Former Jinan Station on the Jiaoji Railway

The Modern Architectural Complex of the Former Jinan Station on the Jiaoji Railway

The Modern Architectural Complex of the Former Jinan Station on the Jiaoji Railway is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former Jinan Station on the Jiaoji Railway was put into use in 1915. It is a German-style building with an asymmetrical linear layout and two stories in height. The original hall was 12 meters high, but later additions were made by the Japanese, who added floors and connected the east and west auxiliary buildings. The interior of the hall is entirely built of marble, with five sets of sun-shaped mosaic patterns on the floor; remnants of a lion-head fountain can be found on the east wall. The west wall features what was originally a ticket window, now converted into a doorway. The east building housed regular and VIP waiting rooms, while the west building had an independent exterior entrance and was used for operating a hotel and commercial businesses. The exterior is eye-catching with six Ionic columns, floor-to-ceiling windows, and stained glass. The west building has been repurposed as the “Jinan Railway Art Gallery”; the east building serves as the “Centennial Jiaoji Railway Exhibition Hall,” where signs in the hall introduce the development history of the Jiaoji Railway and provide architectural information.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) announced the Modern Architectural Complex of the Former Jinan Station on the Jiaoji Railway as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units