Heritagization of the Chinese Eastern Railway

The China Eastern Railway is a cross-border railway line in northeastern China, which was built from the late nineteenth century to the first half of twentieth century. The construction of subsidiary buildings along the line occurred during the six years following the laying of the tracks. The special historical context, cultural background and climatic conditions created an architectural heritage with a unique significance and specific values. First, architectural historical research combining literature and archival research with building archaeological fieldwork will focus on the special construction methods that were developed according to the weather conditions. Second, architectural heritage research will question the ongoing ‘heritagization’ process of the Chinese Eastern Railway. Third, residential buildings will be studied as cases both for the architectural historical part and the heritage conservation part. Our final aim is to provide the theoretical basis and data for the research and protection of railway heritage and to contribute to the study of a heritage route.