Research On Jiaoji Railroad And Evolution In Modern Times

This thesis, starting from the Jiaoji Railroad, using the society-shifting theory and the theories and methods in different subjects such as traffic-economies, traffic-sociology and district-economics, explores the railroad's function in the process of social-economy and people's loves shifting from traditional type to modern form. It discusses further the shock, conflict and reconciliation after the railroad as the industrial civilization enters into traditional agricultural society, discovers the development of Chinese society-shift in considerable stiff environment and tries to find out the relative experience or lessons.Part 1, as the first part of this thesis, investigates the railroad's developing process including construction process, rights-ownership, operation conditions and operation policies etc. Before the year of 1937, Jiaoji Railroad experienced four periods, i. e, the period when German controlled it, the period when Japan controlled it, the period when the Northern Warlords controlled it and the period when Kuomintang ruled China. The conflicts in sino-foreign relations and international relations played an important role in the birth and development of Railroad Jiaoji. Besides, the operation of railroad was always influenced by the regime-shift, bandits and war in China which led to the inefficiency of railroad. It reflected the frictions and conflicts to be confronted with, after railroads as modern industrial civilization entered Chinese agricultural society and it also reflected the hard times to be faced with in the process of Chinese modern society-shift.Part 2, including Chapter 2, 3 and 4, mainly investigates railroad's effects in the shift of economy along the line from traditional to modern. In the process that traditional economy shifted to modern type, the Railroad Jiaoji played an important and stimulative role. The effects just as follows: First, railroad as modern conveyance with its great technical advantage, changed the circulating amount and area of commodities, shocked the traditional circulating mode and media, promotes the development of commodity economy and market, enhanced the communication between coastal cities and inner land, areas along the line and international or intranational markets. Along with the market development, market types and their functions along the railroad experienced changes, forming such multiple-layers market system as the production markets, commodity distributing center markets, specialized markets and advanced markets etc. the distribution of labour in markets became more and more specialized and meticulous. Second, the increase of commodities' circulating amount and expansion of its area promoted the development of market, and stimulated people's consumption need. In order to adapt to the consumption and market need, industry reform intensified. During the economy shift, all kinds of production were transported by railroad into markets in towns and cities. The increase of commodities' circulating amount asked for higher production efficiency. Then the transportation of machines, equipments and industrial raw materials increased, which propelled the technical innovation of industries along the line. Agriculture, handicraft and industry changed a lot. Third, along with the changes of market and industry, the speed of the urbanization of villages along the line quickened and the economical position of important towns and cities turned out to be fluctuant.Part 3, including Chapter 4, 5, mainly analyzes the impact of railroad on living style and values along the line. Railroad facilitated the flow of population. The development of all walks of lives and new industries' appearance provided people with more opportunities to choose their own occupations. There were also many changes in the area of people's clothes, food, living conditions and vehicles which appeared to be plain in suburbs and exhaustive in urban, showing apparent differences between them. Material living conditions affected people's spiritual world, then changes occurred in social beliefs, values and psychology. The public viewpoint for railroad experienced the process of rejection, acceptance and welcome. The traditional beliefs and regional conscience of people along the line weakened with the tendency to accept new-born things enhanced. In a word, social lives appeared to be open and advanced with conservative and unenlightened elements going with it.In conclusion, social changes along the line resulted from the improvement of productive power and social, political and economical elements which was a process to shift from traditional to modern. Railroad as modern industrial civilization entering traditional agricultural society, was the result of the shift of Chinese modern society which consequently proposed the shift to a large extent. The sino-foreign shocks and contradictions in China together reflected the hard times when Chinese modern society's shift occurred. Thus, the development appeared to be extraordinary precious and the experience was worth of consideration and could be used for reference.