A Study Of Qingdao City Development During German Occupation

This thesis studied the city development of German-Occupied Qingdao, from objectives, programming, measures, motives, resistances, achievements, effects, impacts and so on. Qingdao, located in Jiaozhou Bay of Shandong Peninsula, was first designed and programmed by German, rising as an important seaport with the colonization of Qingdao, over a hundred years ago. Under the participation of Chinese people, German input a modern city, giving full play of Chinese environments and managing to make progress swiftly.The process of Qingdao city development enriched the concept of traditional Chinese cities, constituting a special dialogue and exchanges between the two nations and cultures, and presenting a historical phenomenon of "antinomy" in Chinese modern history. The city development of Qingdao resulted from multifactor, which interacted with a great complexity. Among them, both colonialism and nationalism played an important role and their interaction acted as a predominant force, affecting the city development of Qingdao with its direction and basic pattern.Meanwhile Qingdao region has a long history and cultural background as well as an advantageous natural environment. Therefore, in modern time it drew the focus of the people all over the world. Qingdao's development from 1898 to 1914, showed the characteristics of Qingdao as a rising city in colonizing context.First, the natural and social environments of Qingdao formed the prior conditions which provided the development with a great importance and value, both as material and spiritual foundations. The great changes in Qingdao at modern time had a close connection with its history, culture and natural environments. A variety of factors, inside and outside, economic and non-economic, accounted for the swift development of Qingdao, which made historical possibility to become reality.Next, German military colonizing governance played a dual function for Qingdao in that it evoked an endless enormous humiliation, pains and sufferings from Qingdao people in colonizing context while it also promoted the course of exchanges between China and Germany. The self-contradictory process caused conflicts and clashes, as well as exchanges and blending between the two cultures. Performance of mollifying, compromising and cooperating on both sides accompanied with the city developing in confrontation.Finally, Qingdao's development is a dynamic process that China and German made joint efforts to facilitate it. With immerse domestic tears and blood from residents of Qingdao, various factors functioned as organic parts of the formation of Qingdao. In short, Qingdao city development resulted in Sino-west blending, while going all the way from colony to modern city.This text is divided into 3 parts, an introduction, 5 chapters as well as a conclusion.Introduction accounts the taking of the subject and concerning issues of it, and also deals with the natural geographical and social environments of Qingdao region. The geographical and social environments of Qingdao region played an important role. This part takes a panoramic view of the history origin of Qingdao. With modern historically huge change and its deep historic and realistic meaning, Germany colonized the governance with the environments, and made Qingdao city develop in many fields.Chapterâ… describes the colonization of Qingdao and the city development in politics, military, economy and business. With the great target of the culture, and these programming, the initial design and plan of Qingdao had a last and deep influence on the development of the city.Chapterâ…¡deals with Germany's colony management at Qingdao along with Qingdao city developments, inquiring into colonization which brought Qingdao huge changes, such as capitalist system and legalizing, systemizing developments and so on.Chapterâ…¢argues that the building of the harbor and railroad played an important part in the rising of Qingdao. As a result of them, Qingdao economy prospered. The establishment of the free port economic system of the harbor and rail unity gave it a great advantage over other cities. Therefore, it not only developed swiftly but also gave birth to a vast hinterland.Chapterâ…£handles the building of the city both materially and culturally. In this kind of particular environments, Qingdao presented a new concept and image of a modern city, which differed fairly from a traditional one. The scientific planning beforehand, high start, high standards, and high investment as well as forestry and environmental protection, public welfare and efficiency made the city all the more unique. Hence it spread science and technology, and started the modernization of Qingdao while made Chinese culture and German culture had a chance to conflict, to exchange and finally to blend.Chapterâ…¤copes with the rising and developing characteristics of Qingdao. The abrupt changes with disasters, as well as the importation and modernization from without, made Qingdao quite different in many ways, such as its dual contradictory features of the city. Hence colonization and nationalization, modern and tradition, and Europeanization and localization all these came into its outstanding traits simultaneously.The conclusion sums up the development course of Qingdao, from colony to modern city. Factors interior and exterior accounted for the city development, the characteristics of which are very typical and general. Qingdao, from colony to modern city, illustrated dramatically the widespread "antimony" of phenomenon in modern history of China, and the result of Sino-west blend was quite out of the expectation both to the German and ordinary people.