Beijing Youth Daily, September 4, 2006
On a rainy September 3rd, the 88-year-old water tower at Beijing North Railway Station was nearing its end amid the rumble of drilling machines. The demolition of this structure, which is not officially recognized as a protected cultural relic, has triggered heated discussion among netizens.
Yesterday morning, near a train engine at the Beijing North Station turnaround section, four or five workers were seen dismantling the water tower. Stone debris was scattered around the inside and outside of the structure. The arched entrance of the tower remained intact, bearing an inscription: “Built in the seventh month of the [year] of the Republic of China.” (Note: the exact year was illegible.)
Railway enthusiast Wang Wei recalled that the tower wasn’t particularly tall, but its wooden doors and windows had a classical charm. Inside, looking up, one could see the corroded water tank riddled with holes. Two main pipes extended from beneath the tank to water cranes on both sides of the tower. Despite its broken state, even a hornet’s nest could still be found inside. The windows were clearly of an early 20th-century design, dating back to the time of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. Some rusty metal sheets lay scattered on the ground.
“This tower was built specifically to supply water to steam locomotives. After we started using diesel locomotives in the late 1980s, it completed its mission,” said an old railway worker from the turnaround section. According to him, the tower was constructed in 1918 using riveted joints rather than welding, demonstrating a relatively advanced construction method. “The old Xizhimen station is a municipally protected cultural relic, but this old fellow isn’t.”
Shi Wenyu, deputy curator of the Ministry of Railways’ Zhan Tianyou Memorial Museum, explained that while the station site, platforms, overpass, and canopy of the Xizhimen railway station are designated as protected heritage in Beijing, structures that fall outside the city’s official heritage list currently lack corresponding preservation measures.
“I think it’s perfectly reasonable that it wasn’t classified as a cultural relic,” one user posted on a railway forum, arguing that beyond its age and historical aura, the water tower served no real purpose today. “Preserving the old station building and the overpass at Beijing North Station is already sufficient.”
However, another netizen disagreed, stating that history should be preserved as a whole. “Only when the station grounds, tracks, railway ties, and historical structures are preserved together can the station’s historical value truly shine.”
The demolition reportedly began last week, though workers did not disclose the specific reason behind it.
