A Study On Modern Railway Stations And Protection In Jilin Province

The railroad industry in Jilin Province had been developing for nearly 50 years between August 1897 and 1945. During those 50 years, both Russia and Japan developed their own colonies in Jilin. Regardless of political ambitions, Russia and Japan played out their technological, economic and even military advantages and largely developed Jilin Province. The invaders, although aimed at invading, brought western architectural culture and technology to China. They enriched Chinese architectural culture and constructed numbers of outstanding modern architectures.After the Sino-Japanese War, imperialist powers expanded their military invasion through annexation and capital export, among which railway investment became the focus of imperialistic interest. In Northeast China, contention between Tsarist Russia and Japan is extremely fierce. As the Middle East Railway was opened to public in 1903, a railway runs from north to south across China was built in Jilin. This is the Ha Railway today, which laid the foundation of Jilin railway industry.After Russo-Japanese War, Tsarist Russia power was banished from the south part of Northeast China. Subsequently, counterbalance of railroad-related jurisdiction is formed between Japan in South and Russia in North, with Kuanchengzi Station as the division point. Synchronized development of both Tsarist Russia and Japan is the particular characteristic of modern railway industry in Jilin.Till New China was founded, the railroad industry in Jilin Province had been developing for nearly 50 years since the Middle East Railway was opened to public. During those 50 years, both Russia and Japan developed their own colonies in Jilin. Regardless of political ambitions, Russia and Japan played out their technological, economic and even military advantages and largely developed railway industry in Jilin Province. As the development of railroad system, colonies along the railroad were also expanded. Although aimed at invading, the invaders brought western architectural culture and technology to China. They enriched Chinese architectural culture and constructed numbers of outstanding modern architectures. At the same time, Jilin modern railway stations appeared as an emerging architectural style in the stage of history. Different investors and constructors gave rise to very different station architectures. The enormous variations of architectural culture, style and technology among different state powers became a great treasure for researching.This thesis will focus on architectures of railway stations under a particular time period, a specific scope and cultural atmosphere in Jilin Province. Cutting in with a picture of the time period and political background, this thesis introduces the creation and development of railroads and analyzes the characteristics of Jilin railway station architectures thoroughly. The last but not the least, this thesis clarifies the significance of Jilin railway station architectures and suggests valuable methods to protect and reuse them.