In 2014, the town repaired the 660-square-metre Church of the Entry of the Theotokos and the 2,164-square-metre locomotive depot. Hailin City Government applied for RMB 9.63 million in special funds for emergency repairs to both buildings, then made the depot a free railway museum. The work aimed to retain as much original material as possible, respect traditional construction practices and use modern technology where needed, keeping the historic structures legible. A provincial notice also defines a protection area and construction-control zone for the depot. Repair protects the building fabric; the zones guide later changes around the railway site.
From the journal
Conserving Hengdaohezi’s railway heritage
The depot and church were repaired using a stated principle of retaining original fabric; later street and utility work made conservation part of the town’s infrastructure.
In the same city · Mudanjiang ↗
Repairing original fabric
Conservation in a lived town
Conservation projects have also extended into the town’s streets and public services. In 2025, town projects included road repairs, a new wastewater-treatment plant and waterworks, an 8,000-square-metre central square, a one-kilometre riverfront promenade and four Russian-style heritage streets. Seven attractions were upgraded, including the depot and church. Together, building repairs and public-space improvements shape the setting residents and visitors use alongside protected structures. A 2021 tourism profile counted 256 Russian-style buildings in the town, 104 of them protected; maintaining the historic core therefore depends on coordinated care for individual structures and their everyday surroundings.