Railway Architecture Along the Chinese Eastern Railway at the Beginning of the 20th Century

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of railway complexes architecture in the settlements along the Binzhou Railway, Binsui Railway and the part of the high-speed line Hada Railway in Nothern China. That settlements was built by engineers from the Russian Empire in the early 20th century as stations of the Chinese Eastern railway (CER). To create all the conditions for the operating of the road, it was important not only to lay the track, but also to create infrastructure for servicing trains and ensuring a comfortable housing for the growing population. The tight construction time required the use of standard projects on the road. These buildings that have survived to this day have become objects of close attention of architectural historians and restorers. In a number of cities, former locomotive depots are being converted into museum spaces, old railway stations are being restored and included in tourist guides. This paper examines the history of construction of these objects in order to study the design features of utilitarian architecture on the territory of the CER during the construction of the Trans-Siberian railway. The analysis was based on the material obtained during the work with archival documents and drawings, as well as information obtained during field surveys of towns and cities on the railway line from Manchuria to Suifenhe and from Harbin to Dalian.