Anthropological Thinking On Urban Industrial Heritage - Xizhimen Railway Station Of The Change And Historical Memory

Xizhimen Railway Station (also Beijing North Railway Station) was built in 1905 as one of the original stations on the Jingzhang Railway. With running for hundred years, Jingzhang Railway has made an enormous contribution to the economic growth of Beijing. So did the Xizhimen Railway Station for being a connection between the inner Beijing and the outer space. However, this hundred-year station is stepping down from the history in this fast-developing metropolis. Recently, the old station was named as cultural relics and, with the renewal of Xizhimen transport center and the new building of Beijing North Railway Station was put into use, fewer people know the glory that old station had ever had.The idea of "Industrial Heritage" provides the Xizhimen Station a new opportunity to display itself. But there are still few studies about it. Thanks to the research project of "Industrial Heritage Investigation in West Beijing", author has a chance to rediscover Xizhimen, both the station and the region all-around, and discuss the history changes of Xizhimen Station in the process of urbanization during which the role and image of the station in people's memory had differed. The paper contains six parts. The first chapter introduces topic-selecting and current studies related to industrial heritages, urban development and historic preservation both home and abroad. Leading by the brief review of early introduction of Chinese railway and the appearing of Jingzhang Railway, the second part presents the history of Xizhimen Station, construction of new Beijing North Railway Station and development of transport center in this area. The third part expounds upon railway station, as industrial heritage, its symbolic image and interaction with urban renewal. Then comes to successful and well-known cases of preservation and reuse of industrial heritages oversees. And the fifth part tries to analyze how historic heritages are politically functioned, and why Xizhimen Railway Station survived in the process of reconstruction and renewal of urban historic regions. Further conclusion and main points restated in the final chapter.The specialty of industrial heritage is its value and possibility to be reused. Is there any other reason that Xizhimen Railway Station was protected besides its practical function? Considering the idea of "reuse" in industrial heritage preservation, weather the cultural heritage can be gifted a new meaning and evaluation?...