Jinan criticised for plan to rebuild historic railway station

Jinan is planning to rebuild its grand old railway station, once the largest in East Asia, 21 years after it was demolished.

But the move by the Shandong provincial capital has attracted fierce criticism.

One reason is its sheer expense: the project will cost more than 1.5 billion yuan (HK$1.9 billion) according to the Jinan Daily. Concerns have also been raised about the replacement's authenticity. The authorities have turned the city's archives upside down and even tracked down the descendants of the original building's architect, but failed to find a copy of the blueprints for the structure, completed in 1912. All it has is a few faded photographs.

Unlike historic ruins being restored on the mainland, the station was not built in traditional Chinese style, but in the Baroque style, and its architect was German, not Chinese.

This was a factor in its eventual demolition in 1992. Following the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, China faced international sanctions and domestic instability. The authorities feared the influence of Western culture and xenophobia was rife in official propaganda.

The old station's German gothic style became a target of Jinan officials. Xie Yutang , then deputy mayor, told local media that the building was a relic of imperialism.