The Research Of Social Culture In Suiyuan Area In The 1920s And 1930s

Travel notes are the accounts of the travelers’ experiences and knowledge about the journey,which are also an important way to help us understand the social culture.During 1920 s and 1930 s,with the improvement of transportation condition in Suiyuan area,the rising voice of "Northwest Development",the change in people’s ideological concept and the crisis of Suiyuan being the front line of national defence,all of a sudden,government officials,academics,journalists,overseas Chinese,technical experts,social groups,etc.rushed to Suiyuan.Thus,various travel notes taking Suiyuan as the object of discussion were sprung up like mushrooms.These travel documents showed every aspect of the local conditions,local products,social culture and so on in Suiyuan area at that time.This paper combs and analyses these travel notes.Firstly,during 1920 s and 1930 s,the main purposes of people visiting Suiyuan area were travel,industrial inspection,news reports,etc.According to travelers’ writing purposes,travel notes at this time can be classified into travel notes,investigation reports,newsletters,etc.The travel notes in the 1920 s mainly focused on investigation reports,while the travel notes in the 1930 s mainly focused on travel notes and newsletters.Secondly,the content of travel notes covered political,religious,economic,social and cultural aspects of Suiyuan area,which intensively reflected social culture,such as clothing,food,shelter,travel mode,religious belief,etiquette,etc.in people’s daily life.Thirdly,many aspects of Suiyuan’s society and culture not only reflect the inheritance of history,but also show the development of modernization.There is not only the backwardness of the frontier areas but also people’s progressiveness of keeping pace with the times and seeking development.Although Suiyuan area has retained the "traditional" life style in the travelers’ works,there is no doubt that Suiyuan is moving forward with the modernization.