Jinan, the capital of Shandong province, is to invest 1.5 billion yuan ($245 million) on renovating the north square of the city’s railway station and rebuilding the station demolished there 21 years ago. But this is another silly mistake, according to an article in Nanfang Daily.Excerpts:

The city made a silly mistake 21 years ago when it decided to tear down the German-style building, which was built in the early 20th century, despite strong opposition from the public and scholars.

The old station was demolished to make room for a new one with a larger capacity. Another reason, according to a local official at the time, was that the building, as a symbol of colonialism, would remind Chinese people of colonial oppression in the past.

Demolishing history has become a common practice nationwide, producing urban sprawl, which has triggered public outrage. But some historical relics are now being rebuilt.

Even so, the damage is done. It is impossible to rebuild the old railway station in exactly the same way as before. A new one will serve only as testimony to past policy mistakes.

It is always better to learn from the mistakes of the past and focus on preserving existing historical relics and preventing them from having the same fate.