| Tcheng-T’ai Railway runs from Shijiazhuang to Taiyuan,designed and built under the control of French.The plan of the railway started in 1896 and the construction began in 1904.In 1907,it was completed and opened to traffic,with about 243 kilometers long.After opening,the right of operation and management was grasped by French.In 1933,the railway loan was paid off and Tcheng-T’ai Railway was nationalized,owned by China.Judging by the facades of five disappeared stations of Tcheng-T’ai Railway during French occupation: Shijiazhuang Station,Taiyuanfu Station,Niangziguan Station,Yucixian Station and Touquan Station,and four existing stations: Yangquan Station,Nanhengkou Station,Shang’an Station and Nanzhangcun Station,the segmented composition of the station facade makes these stations recognizable: the main facades are symmetrical and have clear priority,mostly in the form of ‘horizontal three vertical five’ or ‘horizontal three vertical three’,and there are pediments,quoins and oculus windows on the facades.Compared with the facade of Chinese Ancient Architecture,the segmented composition of the station facade,the outward form of the gable,the arrangement of pediment and quoin show the ‘particularity’ of the station facade.Compared with Yunnan-Vietnam Railway station facade,the similarities are obvious.Their composition and the application of architecture elements have a lot in common,indicating that the facade of Tcheng-T’ai Railway station has a certain ‘universality’.The comparison with the station facade of France and some European and American countries in the same period further illustrates the ‘universality’ of these facades.As for the causes for the formation of the characteristics of Tcheng-T’ai Railway station facade,it is not difficult to find the answer from France’s ‘ancient worship’architecture thought since the Middle Ages: the thought of classical architecture runs through the development of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the early 20 th century.école des Beaux-Arts and école Polytechnique,which advocated classical architecture,provided a paradigm for French architecture design at that time.Therefore,it is not surprising that the composition and architecture elements in the facade of Tcheng-T’ai Railway station designed by French. |
