Reviving Bisezhai Through Railway Memory
An adaptive reuse project that transforms the historic Bisezhai Railway Station into an immersive theater and railway museum celebrating the memory of Yunnan’s meter-gauge railway culture.
Classification: Adaptive Reuse / Cultural SpaceLocation: Bisezhai, Yunnan, China
Full of international companies:
Mobil Sands Water and Oil Company
French Merchant Asia Water and Oil Company
Caucasian meeting place:
There are department stores and nightclubs.
European and Amercian came here to do business.
International trade hub:
Over 40 trains passed through daily, carrying goods like tin, tea, steel, and textiles to Vietnam.
Railway labor exploitation:
Local villagers were forced into low-paid labor during the railway’s development.
April, the tracks of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway were laid here, and the station was built.
March, the whole line of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was completed.
March, the whole line of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was completed.
March, the whole line of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was completed.
In September, the Nationalist government removed 177 kilometers of railway tracks between Hekou and Bise Village.
History Timeline
1920s: A Thriving International Port City
2020s: A Declining Mountain Village
Structure types:
130 brick-concrete structure;
298 brick-wood structure;
72 typical morden structure.
Lack of labor:
Young people go out to work, leaving only the elderly and children in the village, causing a shortage of labor.
Full of international companies:
Mobil Sands Water and Oil Company
French Merchant Asia Water and Oil Company
Station Decline:
After the opening of the Chengdu–Kunming Railway, Bisezhai Station gradually lost its importance and was downgraded to a fourth-class station.
Economic Decline:
Main income shifted from secondary and tertiary industries to lower-profit agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishery.
In October, the Mengzi–Bisezhai Railway was dismantled, and the station was abandoned after rail operations ended.
Bisezhai station downgraded from first- class station to fourth- class station.
Bisezhai Station Passenger Suspension.
Bisezhai Station was offically Cancelled.
Site Analysis
China
Yunnan
Honghe
Mengzi
Masonry Structure
Station Building
Train Track and Surrounding Buildings
French Colonial Type Buildings
Ground Floor Stage
Top 8 Elderly Diseases in China
Trouble Walking
Slow Thinking
Sit
One Step Control
Stand
Complex Control
Cafe
Senile Dementia
Cerebral Apoplexy
Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Cerebral Infarction
Rheumatic Arthritis
Osteoporsis
Prostatic Hyperplasia
8 Key Sectors of Yunnan’s Rural Economy
Crop Farming
Stock Farming
Fishery
Food & Beverages
Tourism
Forestry
Mining Industry
Prostatic Hyperplasia
Museum
Unique History
Top 8 Youth Interests in China
Travel
Inspire Mind
Acoustic Enjoyment
Visual Enjoyment
Listen to local Mysterious story
Experience Local Life
Listen To Local Music
Watch Local Dance
Travel
Video Game
Music
Movie
Reading
Sports
Photography
Work Out
Theater
Explode Diagram
Exhibition Hall of 1920s
Exhibition Hall of 1950s
Exhibition Hall of 2020s
Exhibition Hall of Train
Train Track out of Service
Train Track on Service
Train Track out of Service
Historical Features
Handrail of Art Nouveau
In this period, people liked to use this kind of iron railings, similar to the branches of trees.
Shutter Window
In the southeast of China, this kind of window is wildly used in the french colonial architecture in the 1920s.
Handrail of Roman Column
The balustrades, which resemble Roman Columns and look similar to vases in Eastern culture that symbolize peace, are often found in such buildings.
Plan
Ground Floor
H
A
B
D
E
C
A: Railway Museum
B: Show Stage
C: Bedroom-Showroom
D: Office-Showroom
E: Backstage
Second Floor
Plan
Second Floor
F
G
F: Cafe
G: Rooftop
H: Bridge
Bridge across Train Lanes
Railway Museum
