Urbanize The Countryside Research Of Modern Shijiazhuang (1901～1949)

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the urbanization of Shijiazhuang in modern times started. At that time, Shijiazhuang was an emerging city "brought by railways", being neither a traditional administrative center nor a traditional industrial and commercial town and particularly not a trading port. It started from a pure little village, experienced a leapfrog development of half a century, and grew to the youngest medium-sized industrial and commercial city developing fastest in North China, therefore Shijiazhuang in modern times may be regarded as a typical case of the rural urbanization of China in modern times.Beginning with analyzing functions and structures of cities and associated with studies of economic history, military history, political history, city history, population history and society history, this paper has made a systematic study of the rural urbanization of Shijiazhuang in modern times by applying methods of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, combination of theories and practices, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and longitudinal and transverse analysis. It has analyzed the formation and characteristics of such functions as a hub of communications, distribution of trade and commerce, industrial manufacturing, and military administration of Shijiazhuang in modern times, and explored specific effect of various functions on change of the city structure; it has revealed different phases and leapfrog advance of city population growth and space expansion of Shijiazhuang in modern times as well as its feature of dual structure; it has reviewed new changes of basic necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter, transport, etc.) of urban residents of Shijiazhuang in modern times, as well as some rural living habits and marks still existing; it has deeply analyzed urban social problems and various practical drawbacks of Shijiazhuang in modern times caused by incomplete new mechanisms of social control and severe absence of social management. This paper has used a lot of source files and original materials, drawn many detailed and striking quantified sheets and schematic drawings, justified numerous basic facts and data of links of the urban development of Shijiazhuang in modern times, and analyzed and explained many historical mysteries including "The Number of Population of Shijiazhuang at the beginning of the 20^th Century", and "The Site Selection of Shijiazhuang Railway Station at the Eastern End of Zhengding-Taiyuan Railway".By making an all-sided study of the rural urbanization of Shijiazhuang in modern times, this paper has identified characteristics of the rural urbanization of Shijiazhuang in modern times such as driving multi-forces, leapfrog growth, shortage of industrial driving, strong military mandatory resorts, and at-one-time deviation from normal tracks. Though the city had a leapfrog growth in some phases, it will remain a young city with many rural features still existing regardless of how fast is the urbanization of Shijiazhuang in modern times, and its urbanization level will be still low.