Xiaozhan Troop Training Station is one of the projects of "modern China history in Tianjin". As the birthplace of the first modern new army of China, the station is granted with extremely profound military culture. It has been world-renowned since the end of the 19th century. Xiaozhan, Tianjin was marked on world atlas made by countries of Europe and America.

Around the station, lofty rampart guarded the small town like a worrier. Stepping into the gate, you will see Military Academy, the major site for new army to train their officers and pass on western troop training thoughts. On the left, there is the hall to watch the historical documentary of the station and on the opposite, you will find the entrance of the exhibition hall.

The whole exhibition hall shows the development process of modern history.

It was in the state of emergency, people were affected by the opium; together with  the signing of Treaty of Shimonoseki after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, advanced people of China finally had reached the end of their forbearance; they presented a petition together for western style troop training in order to resist foreign invasion. The exhibition hall displays photos and document of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Treaty of Shimonoseki, Port Arthur Massacre, fierce battle on the Yellow Sea between Beiyang Fleet and Japan Combined Fleet, etc.

A piece of 19mm thick armoured glass map shows the importance of Tianjin as an important transportation junction, and the powerful and influential location of Xiaozhan as the strategic military at that time.

The New Army was trained according to the military system of German during the early days after it was established. All the weapons were also imported from German.

The weapons of New Army also had a qualitative leap from cold arms like knives, fowling pieces, snaphances to modern hot weapons like six-chambered revolvers, 8mm Mannlicher rifles made in Austria and carbines. All the firearms are displayed in the exhibition hall. In the last showcase, there are shells of Krupp field piece.

In the next exhibition hall, you will see the comparison between old and new fieldwork. In the showcase on the right, there are military camps of early Qing Dynasty; on the left, there are new type barracks and camps with complete functions and easy to take cover. New Army is equipped with world most advanced telephones and telegraphs; also a special ritual team was organized, which was the first ritual team in military history of China.

After years' training, in order to test the training effect, two large scale drills were held in autumns of 1905 and 1906. Xiaozhan covers an area of 200000sq.m; besides rampart, military academy, military museum, New Army committee for drilling troops, there are also residence of Yuan Shih-kai and camp traders' street.

On the basis of troop training history of Xiaozhan, with the veins of Beiyang history, modern culture of Tianjin and Xiaozhan rice culture, Xiaozhan Troop Training Station is a story theme historical culture tourism area with the key functions of history display and emotional experience; it is also integrated functions of education, leisure, shopping and conference.