The Beijing–Hankou or Jinghan railway (), also Peking–Hankow railway, was the former name of the railway in China from Beijing to Hankou, on the northern bank of the Yangtze River. The railway was built between 1897 and 1906 by a Belgian company backed by French financing. At Hankou, railway carriages were ferried across the Yangtze River to Wuchang on the southern bank, where they would connect to the Guangdong–Hankou railway. The completion of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge in 1957 linked the two railways into a single contiguous railway known as the Beijing–Guangzhou railway. From 1928 to 1945, when Beijing was known as Beiping, the Beijing–Hankou railway was known as the Beiping–Hankou or Pinghan railway. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese advance into central China was known as the Beiping–Hankou Railway Operation. History In 1896, the Imperial Chinese Railway Administration was established to oversee railway construction in China. Sheng Xuanhuai attempted to balance the foreign powers by awarding concessions to different countries. In 1897, a Belgian consortium agreed to lend £4.5 million sterling for the construction of a railway between Beijing and Hankou. The connecting Guangdong–Hankou railway was awarded to the American China Development Company in 1898. Starting in March 1899, the work progressed from both ends. By the end of 1899 the embankments had been completed along a stretch and of track had been laid down in the south. In the north there were of embankments and of track. The Boxer Rebellion halted construction for several months in 1900. All the railway officials were given arms to protect themselves. In the northern stretch from Lugouqiao to Fengtai all the workshops, warehouses and wagons were destroyed and the sleepers were taken. Work continued in the south, where the viceroys ensured protection for the Europeans. In 1901 the line was extended through the section between Xinyang and Hankou in the hilly land between the Yellow and Yangtze rivers. Only one tunnel was needed. In January 1902 the Imperial Court travelled along a completed section of the line on their way back to Beijing. In June 1905 the bridge over the Yellow River was open to traffic. The line with 125 stations was opened on 14 November 1905. It was recognized as a major (and profitable) achievement, and the responsible engineer Jean Jadot gained great credit. The Beijing–Hankou railway was completed in 1906. In the meantime, the Belgians had purchased a