Dian–Viet Railway Historical and Cultural Park

Bisezhai Station was designated as a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 2013. The “Bisezhai Station” stele bears Chinese characters, as well as the Hani language “BIOQSEOQZEOF CEILZAF” and the Yi script ꀘꌝꍝꍯꍳ. Yunnan Province is home to many ethnic minorities; even though they are called “minorities,” the Hani number about 1.63 million (centered around the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, including Bisezhai), and the Yi number about 5.07 million. The station stands at an elevation of 1,362 m, higher than Nobeyama Station (1,346 m), the highest station in Japan.

Bisezhai lies roughly in the middle of the Dian–Viet Railway. The station building was designed by the French and has a French architectural style with a red tiled roof, yellow walls, and wooden shutters (louvered windows). It is a two-story building with facilities such as the stationmaster’s office, waiting room, a three-faced clock, water tower, and toilets. The eaves are supported by a riveted steel framework. This steel is said to have been produced at the same steelworks that supplied the Eiffel Tower. When the Dian–Viet Railway reached Bisezhai in 1909, it was the only first-class station on the line. After the Ge–Bi–Shi Railway opened, trains converged here and transshipment took place, causing passenger and freight volumes to surge. The station was promoted to “special class,” becoming a major railway terminal. At the busiest time, more than 80 trains passed through per day. Within an area of only about 2 km², companies from France, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries gathered, along with more than 30 domestic shops; in addition, over 3,000 dockworkers loaded and unloaded cargo day and night, creating a remarkably bustling scene.

The three-faced clock—also known as a “parent-and-child clock”—was made in 1910 by the Paris clockmaker PAUL GARNIER. It is called “three-faced” because it consists of two dials facing two directions on the platform, plus the master clock in the office that drives them, making three in total. Because the system is powered by winding the spring in the office, the station clocks display the same time without deviation. It no longer operates today, but was designated a National Second-Class Cultural Relic in 2004.
Beneath the clock, under the threshold stone at the entrance, there is an inscription “BM149.” This is thought to indicate a survey benchmark (Bench Mark), and after verification it was also confirmed to mark the Tropic of Cancer. The coordinates are E 103°2′38″, N 23°27′5″.

This building was the Bisezhai branch of Mengzi Customs. After the Sino–French War, the “Sino–French Supplementary Agreement on Commerce” was concluded in 1887, stating in effect that “the Qing government agrees to open Longzhou in Guangxi and Mengzi and Manhao in Yunnan as trading hubs on the Sino–Vietnamese border.” In 1889, customs was formally established in Mengzi, and a sub-office was set up in Manhao. However, until the Pacific War began in 1941, key positions (customs commissioners) were held by personnel dispatched from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, who controlled tariff administration, leaving the Qing side without tariff autonomy. After the Dian–Viet Railway opened in 1910, Yunnan’s commercial center shifted to Kunming. In 1942, the Mengzi office came under the jurisdiction of Kunming Customs, and branches were established at Bisezhai, Manhao, Hekou, and elsewhere. In January 1945, Mengzi Customs was downgraded to a sub-office, and all subordinate branches—including Bisezhai—were abolished. This building was designated in 2013 as a “7th Batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit” by the State Council.

The “287 km” post indicates the distance from Kunming. Although the station has been closed, the railway is still active and freight trains operate irregularly. Three tracks remain in the station area, but only the leftmost track is in use, and the switches leading to the two tracks on the right have been removed. The out-of-service tracks use steel sleepers. In parts of Yunnan and Southeast Asia, timber suitable for sleepers was scarce, and the hot, humid climate caused termite damage and decay, so steel was sometimes adopted for durability and ease of maintenance.

In the era when all trains were hauled by steam locomotives, running out of water could lead to fatal boiler explosions, so many stations were equipped with water facilities. Taking water and coal after arrival was a routine task. Water was also sprinkled in suitable amounts to help coal burn, and oxygen produced from the decomposition of water was believed to enhance combustion. Along the Ge–Bi–Shi Railway there were 16 water tanks and 17 “water towers” for supplying water. In Chinese, these are called “water cranes” (shuihe) because their shape resembles a crane lifting its beak high.

The Bisezhai station building of the Ge–Bi–Shi Railway is smaller than the Dian–Viet Railway station, but this line was a privately built railway funded by Yunnan merchants and industrialists. Funds were raised while construction proceeded section by section, and operations were also managed by section. Chinese decorative motifs were incorporated into the doors and windows. The round windows in the gable walls on both sides are clearly distinct from the French-style shutters. The steel frame supporting the platform canopy has a triangular outline, but uses circular braces of various sizes inside. In addition to facilities such as the stationmaster’s office, waiting room, the three-faced clock, and water crane, related facilities such as a turntable, locomotive repair shop, and materials workshop were also provided. The site is now tourist-oriented; during my visit, tourists from Hong Kong were taking commemorative photos in traditional Chinese qipao dresses.

A 600 mm-gauge track runs into the interior of this French-style building—this was the locomotive shed of the Ge–Bi–Shi Railway. In the early years of operation, passenger and freight car bodies and some rail could be manufactured domestically at the Yangtze River Works in Shanghai. Rails were also produced at the Hanyang Iron Works. While rails and parts of rolling stock were procured in China, the steam locomotives were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in the United States. From 1919 onward, the Ge–Bi–Shi Railway company purchased rolling stock from the Yangtze River Works in Wuhan, as well as from the United States and France, introducing 43 passenger cars (including 2 service cars, 3 first/second-class cars, 6 third-class cars, and 32 fourth-class cars) and 151 freight cars (including 113 covered wagons, 26 open wagons, 11 flatcars, and 1 rescue car). Vehicle inspection and maintenance were handled by the company’s own workshops. In 1919, locomotive depots were established at Bisezhai, Mengzi, Jijie, Jianshui, Shiping, and Gejiu. In 2013, this locomotive shed was designated a “7th Batch National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit” by the State Council.

The Baldwin-built locomotives were exceptionally large for a 600 mm gauge engine: 14.85 m in overall length and 46 t in weight. Sixteen were built between 1924 and 1929 and numbered 17 to 32. The Ge–Bi–Shi Railway used 34 locomotives in total, and before the war also operated engines built in various European and American countries. Only the SN class survives today, preserved in railway museums in Beijing, Shanghai, and Kunming. Note that Nos. 21 and 27 at this site are not entirely in original form: the wheels and balance weights of the running gear appear to be genuine parts, but the frame is a steel structure without equalizers or brake shoes, and the cylinder area is only a simplified representation. The cab also lacks key fittings such as the reversing gear and regulator valve, making it a replica that imitates the original appearance. On the other hand, much of the upper structure appears to be from the original locomotive.

On the Ge–Bi–Shi Railway, locomotives needed to be turned in order to return along the same track, so a turntable was essential. The turntable was hand-operated and required four people to rotate it. This turntable is not original; it was reconstructed to evoke the past, and it can accommodate only the locomotive itself without the tender. In normal operation, a locomotive and its tender are not separated.

This shop uses a former Dian–Viet Railway passenger coach. It sells souvenirs and also rents costumes so visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of the past within the station grounds. Available outfits include pre-war student uniforms (a light-blue, Chinese-style two-piece), traditional qipao dresses, People’s Liberation Army uniforms from the era before ranks were introduced (the Type 65 uniform, used until 1988), and distinctive costumes of various ethnic minorities.

Displayed here are 600 mm-gauge passenger coaches, passenger cars, a mail and baggage car, covered wagons, and flat wagons. The coaches are painted cream today, but in their final years of service they were dark green.