Frontier And Hubs: Development Of Xinjiang Urban Modern (1884-1949)

After1840, Chinese society went into the modern development stage, as the country’s northwest border area, the modernization of Xinjiang slightly later than inland provinces. The establishment of Xinjiang Province, the New Policy Reform in the late Qing and Treaty Ports are three major events which push forward the modernization of city in Xinjiang, and then these cities showed different characteristics of modernization from Chinese inland city.City is the place that regional population gathered and is the regional center of civilization, modernization of city is the embodiment and distinct reflect of social modern development, the development of Xinjiang city in modern times showed the prospect of modernization of society of China’s northwest frontier minority areas which very different from inland areas of China. Analysis of the characteristics of the city development in Xinjiang, not only can enrich the theoretical study of the history of city and history of frontier minorities, also help us understand the city problems in Xinjiang in the contemporary development process. Draw lessons from the development of modern city, we can promote the harmonious progress of Xinjiang society in the contemporary era.By using analysis, logical reasoning, case analysis, chart description method and Modernization theory, we can construct the diachronic analysis framework of city development in Xinjiang in modern times, investigate the time clue of modernization of city in the longitudinal development process. By finding the key node which influence city development, city development in Xinjiang in65years can be divided into five stages:city reconstruction and recovery phase in the late Qing dynasty, city semi-closed slow development stage during the reign of Yang Zengxin, city into chaos phase during the reign of Jin Shuren, city increase development stage during the reign of Sheng Shicai and city stagnation stage during the period of Guomindang’s reign.By using Structure-function theory, we can construct the synchronic analysis framework of city development in Xinjiang in modern times, study from the perspective of dynamic analysis of city character, discuss the quantity, population characteristics of city in the modern development, and then analyze the distribution pattern of city, city morphology and functional zoning issues. We can see:Number and population of city were slowly, steadily increasing; the distribution pattern of city were formed a small "c" shape around the Junggar basin in the North of the Tianshan Mountains,"△"shape in the Yili River Valley, sparse distribution in the Eest of the Tianshan Mountains and large "C" shape around the Tarim basin in the Sorth of the Tianshan Mountains; The city morphology were expanding and extending on the base of the rectangle and irregular shape; The administrative area, commercial area and residential area of city were enrich and expand constantly, and industrial zone emerged in some cities.Based on analysis of diachronic development and synchronic development characteristic of modern city in Xinjiang, take the spatio-temporal analysis perspective, discuss the function, type, development power and culture of city and the people’s living condition in city. Military defense, transportation and commercial hub were prominent personality function of modern city, change from "army city" to "governance city", strengthen business function and colligate function were the change trend of city in modern times. According to main function of city, the modern city type can be integrated into five class, such as the central city, transportation hub city, commercial city, military defense city and general administrative center city. Modern industry of city bud but weak, foreign trade business prosperity, so the latter has become the main force of modern city development, but this power from external influenced by the great-power politics, so it is intermittence and can not continuously improve the development of city. There is also internal dynamics during modern city development, such as the reform of the administrative system, the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, modern cultural transmission, democratic enlightenment, city municipal construction, and so on. But the internal force is still weak. The culture of modern city were diversity, heterogeneity and blend with each other. Muslim culture, Chinese culture, foreign culture and colonial culture were coexist in the city, showed strong ability to fully inclusive and equitable of city. In the modern city, people beared the heavy pressure of life which were accompanied by social transformation, political changes in the process of transformation from traditional to modern.Overall, all of the above features shown in the development of the city were all subject to the "frontier" and "hub" double roles of modern city in Xinjiang. Because of "frontier" role, city in Xinjiang were separated from the state and inland area in modern development stage, other provinces people in Xinjiang also can not have local sentiment, which block the development of city. But on the other hand, as a national territory, city in Xinjiang were showing a "border-mainland integration" trend during the modern development. City in Xinjiang obtained external development power through foreign trade and lost its independent space in the modern development because of "hub" role.