Dazhi Gate Railway Station

Dazhi Gate Railway Station

Dazhi Gate Railway Station is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Dazhi Gate Railway Station: Located near Chezhan Road on Jingshan Avenue in Hankou. Built in 1903, it was renamed Hankou Railway Station after the founding of the People's Republic of China. This railway station was a major terminal on China’s first long-distance standard-gauge railway. Its main waiting hall, an early structure, stands as an important historical relic of modern railway construction in China.

Although it was already late at night, the chill of late autumn gradually seeped into his body. Li Jianfei stood in front of the building of Jingshan Railway Station, his thoughts drifting back to that bustling era.

“I was born right next to the old station. My home was just around the corner from the station building. The biggest structure I saw as a child was the old station,” said Li Jianfei, now 58, who habitually refers to it as the “old station.”

“I remember when I was just a little kid, I loved playing around the station because it was so lively. Darting through the crowds felt really exciting.” After school every day, Li Jianfei and his friends would play near the station. Back then, cars couldn’t enter Chezhan Road—only handcarts could. Sometimes they’d see transport workers pushing handcarts into the warehouse, struggling to push uphill. The kids would rush to help. “The workers were happy and would give us a few cents. It wasn’t much, but we were thrilled and satisfied because we could buy ice pops, rubber bands, or glass marbles—all things kids loved most.” Probably recalling a funny scene from those days, Li Jianfei burst out laughing.

In the 1980s, the old station stopped operating, and foot traffic here dropped sharply. The once bustling streets became sparsely populated, and Chezhan Road gradually transformed into a area for dining and leisure.

In 1995, Li Jianfei decided to open a hotel on Chezhan Road. To come up with a catchy name, he even consulted a “mastermind.” “At first, I thought of naming it ‘Old Hankou’ or ‘Old Wuhan,’ aiming to highlight the local characteristics of Wuhan and give it a touch of cultural flavor.” Later, the mastermind suggested, “Why not just call it ‘Old Station’?” That name struck a chord with Li Jianfei, who immediately declared it “perfect” and settled on it. Though the old station had ceased operations, he hoped his hotel could help preserve the legacy of the “old station” for years to come.

Address: Jingshan Street, Jiang’an District

Transportation: Take bus routes 7, 35, 42, 60, 64, 201, 305, 508, 524, 532, 533, 534, 549, 605, 807, 808, or tram line 3 to QiuChang Street, then walk to the site.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units