Century-old railway station now a tourist attraction after renovation

This photo taken with a mobile phone on March 25, 2023 shows the renovated historical site of the Ching Hua Yuan Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Luo Xin)

BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Restoration of the historical site of the Ching Hua Yuan Railway Station has helped to spotlight a building of over a century in age, which is nestled in the campus zones of the prestigious Peking and Tsinghua universities.

Named after the campus of Tsinghua University, the station with a terminal building and a track, is on the path of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, known as China's first independently designed and built railway that was put into operation in 1909.

Fast-developing urbanization in Beijing had long tucked away the station with its grey brick walls and red roofs in an alley flanked by residential buildings. After a restoration process which started in June 2022, the historical site covering just over 290 square meters was reopened to the public on Saturday.

Xu Lin, an official with the publicity department of the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said the cross-department restoration project had protected and repaired the historical remains of the site. Indoor space was used to exhibit historical pictures, cultural relics, documents and old newspapers.

"The restoration project fully considered the opinions of neighboring residential communities and consulted cultural experts," Xu said.

Among the new attractions offered by the restored historical site, visitors can get a printed railway ticket from the ticket office in the station. Many people pose for photos while getting their souvenir tickets.

Deng Zhenzhi, a student from Peking University, was among the visitors at the site. The revamped historical site will help young people better understand the revolutionary past of the CPC, he said.