Research Into Modernization Of Jilin City

Jilin City,even since its establishment in 1673,has been the most important political, economic, military and cultural center in the Northeast of China.Its status as the capital city of Jilin province lasted for as long as 281 years.In 1881,the establishment of Jilin Machine Bureau launched the development of Jilin urban modernization.Driven by modern trade and transportation development in modern times,Jilin City experienced intermittent development for half a century,and its urban function and structure changed greatly, achieving the transformation from a single military and political city to a politically, economically, educationally and culturally diverse city and establishing its status as the junction of regional transport as well as the center of business trade, education and culture. With the growing heterogeneity of its urban population, Jilin’s urban spatial form and civic life were becoming more and more modernized. But its urbanization was awfully hard. Since the construction of China-Eastern Railway in 1903, the economic and social development in the three provinces of the Northeast gradually changed along the railway, leading to the rapid development of Harbin and Changchun, whose urban space, district’s first degree, trade development and regional central status gradually catched up with Jilin City and then exceeded it. However, unlike those cities in depressed situation, Jilin City did not go down the drain. Instead, owing to the restoration in the first half period of the Republic of China and the expansion during the Puppet Period, it remained at the primier central place in a certain time; furthermore, it formed unique culture and scene due to its special historical background and expansion pattern.Therefore, it is of theoretical value and realistic significance for the research of Chinese modern cities’history and their development nowdays to explore the modern history of Jilin’s change and clear its unique development. The dissertation consists of seven sections.Introduction is written to state the reasons for choosing this topic, a summary of relevant studies home and abroad, means of research, definition of related concepts and innovations of the dissertation.Chapter one is devoted to introducing physical geographical condition of Jilin City and tracking down its historical evolution in early times. Advantageous geographical and historical conditions, combined with the convenient transportation, built the city from a boundary town into“the Center of Seven Towns”and a regional commercial center in early Qing Dynasty.Chapter two is set aside to state the commencing phase of Jilin urban modernization, which lasted from the establishment of Jilin Machine Bureau in 1881 to“the new administrative policies”of Northeast of China in 1905. The opening of the Bureau started modernization of the city. Since then, Jilin City gradually developed from a regional trade center in early Qing Dynasty into a modern industrial center. With the development of shipping industry on the Songhua River, commercial districts with regional features gradually came into being. In this process, the city expanded its size eastward and westward and districts with specific functions appeared. However, with the completion and operation of the China-Eastern Railway in 1903, Harbin and Changchun rose sharply. Their size and economy reached and later surpassed Jilin City, the capital of Jilin province. For its absence from the main line of the China-Eastern Railway Line, Jilin City lost its status as a center and its economic hinterland shrank. As a result, it lost its position as“the Center of Seven Towns”.Chapter three concentrates on the city’s development, during the period of“the new administrative policies”in last years of Qing Dynasty, lasting from 1906 to 1911 when the Republic of China was established.“The new administrative policies”significantly accelerated the process of modernization of the city. The main city developments in this period were characterized by the division of judicial and administrative functions. Administrative organizations like police and city autonomous organizations appeared. The city’s economic structure also began to change. The formation of modern social groups and appearance of urban elites became the first step of public participation in politics. Meanwhile, the completion and operation of Jilin-Changchun Railway expanded Jilin’s contact with outside world, restoring its position as a center of land and water transportation in Northeast China.“The new administrative policies”reform also broke self-enclosure of Jilin City and spread new ideology, education and culture, changing social life of dwellers in the city.Chapter four is assigned to explore the decline and revitalization of Jilin City in early times of the Republic of China. This period was from 1912 to 1930. Compared with cities like Changchun and Harbin, the late development of modern traffic, turbulent political situation, as well as the disastrous strike--“Burning the Shipyard”in 1911 and the increase of Japan’s economic and its political influence on Northeast China, these factors contributed to the city’s further decline and to be more apparent especially after the China-Eastern Railway came into being. Despite these unfavorable conditions, Jilin City didn’t end like other cities that were at death’s door or couldn’t recover after a setback. The fundamental reasons and conditions for the city to remain to be the center city in Jilin Province for a long time were its superior geographical location, the significant status as a political center and its wide economic interior and hinterland. During the 1920s, with the establishment of a modern municipal government, the improvement of an omnidirectional and multilayered modern transportation system and the development of industry and commerce, all of these further strengthen Jilin City’s economic、political and traffic functions. With well developed city functions and industries, better regional politics, economic and developed transportation and enlarged size, Jilin City entered the stage of revitalization, and then recovered and developed into a typical large city in modern Northeast China.Chapter five mainly discusses the deformed development of Jilin City during the Puppet Period. This period was from 1931 to 1945. During this period, with its size expanding, its population increasing and city construction starting, the city developed very fast. However, this development was based on the Japanese colonial rule. The heavy industry gained a deformed development and national industry and commerce stalled. At the same time, the cultural autocracy and enslaving education executed by Japanese greatly blew the original education atmosphere in Jilin City, its social and economic environment deteriorating.Conclusion summarizes from four aspects the features of development of Jilin City in moden times, namely, the shift from a military and political city to a city combining political,economic, educational and cultural functions;taking modern commercial development and progress of transportation as core motivation; the intersection progress of urban modernization and colonization and the features of intermittent development.