Jinan Old Railway Station (Rebuilt)

The current Jinan West Railway Station opened in 2011 as part of the high-speed rail network, and the historic old station — itself a rebuilt 2013 reconstruction of the 1911 German original — stands in the center of the city on Tianqiao Road. The rebuilt station approximates the distinctive clock tower and Romanesque arches of the original, though it lacks the patina and craftsmanship of the genuine article. Visiting it is worthwhile mainly as a study in the complicated relationship between Chinese cities and their heritage buildings.

For rail travelers, the modern Jinan West Station — the high-speed hub — is a vast glass structure about 10 kilometres west of the city center. The old station area is convenient for the spring parks and the old city district.

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A story
The original Jinan railway station, built by the Germans in 1911 and widely considered one of the finest pieces of German colonial architecture in Asia, was demolished in 1992 to make way for a modern station. The demolition was nationally controversial — the German architectural press called it "the greatest act of architectural vandalism in the twentieth century" — and a rebuilt version of the original was eventually opened in 2013, incorporating some salvaged elements, as partial acknowledgment of the loss.

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