[File photo/Hebei Daily]

A century-old railway station in North China's Zhangjiakou has applied to become a world cultural heritage, the city government said in a statement on Wednesday.

Zhangjiakou North Railway Station, the ending point for the Zhangjiakou-Beijing railway, became part of China's first domestically invested, designed and built railways when it was completed in 1909. It retired from service in July last year.

Zhangjiakou, 180 kilometers to the northwest of Beijing, was also a key transition point for the "Siberian Route", a historic route connecting European Russia to Siberia and China. The 13,000-kilometer trade route is also known as the "Tea Road" through which Chinese tea was exported to Europe.

The Mongolian word "Kalgan", meaning port on land, can be seen on the stone signboard of the station under the Chinese name of the railway station.