On The Opening Of Shashi Commercial Port And The Transformation Of Socio-economic Formation (1895-1915)

During the 20 years from 1895 to 1915, Shashi has experienced an unheard-of form of socio-economic transformation, and this was the revival of a traditional old city. Commercial port opening made Shashi enter into an unprecedented peak period, and thus built a "hathpace" of Shashi developmental history. The author believes that after opening commercial port, with the vast hinterland of the Jianghan Plain lying behind and the Yangtze River passing by, Shashi placed its economy in the broad exposure to the outside world, and its import and export trade with colonial nature was developing rapidly, which therefore stimulated the domestic directly related re-exports to a rapid rise. Commercial force arising from the trading port broke the city's inner closed structure. With businessmen's spirit of evolution and the industrial revitalization, and the modern industry came into being. The socio-economic transformation of Shashi extended from river side area to inland areas and developed from a transit trade between the towns to the import and export of cotton products. Therefore, the author intends to discuss Shashi's socio-economic transformation in three aspects including the formation of the pier economic zone, the development of cotton industry and other relevant industries, and the change of the social estates.In the foreword, the author focuses on the necessity of studying the history of Shashi's commercial port opening, and emphasizes that the inspiration to Jingzhou's revitalization from this study can not be ignored. Through the reappearance of the city's glory in the past, this paper seeks to help the city regain confidence of revival.Chapter One discusses Shashi's previous social economic development status being the opening of commercial port. Why did the invaders choose Shashi as their trading port? The author chases the answer from different perspectives. In the thesis, the author will have the opportunity to analyze in detail the Shashi port economic situation during that period which was ranked among the top 10 of the Yangtze River ports. In addition, the development of urban commercial and handicraft industry driven by the port economy, and the perspective of the city's various estates and heterogeneous social faces would also be discussed.Chapter Two discusses the process of Shashi's commercial ports opening and the economic revivals. Japan did not choose Shashi as a commercial port by chance. For the Japanese were more confident about the Shashi market than Britain and the United States. Then the author shows the changes of Shashi directly triggered by opening the commercial port such as the remarkable increase in the volume of trade and the prosperity of trade-related pier economic zone. The socio-economic transformation emerged at first in the riverside area of Shashi. Chapter Three discusses Shashi's commercial port opening and the development of cotton industry. The author collects a lot of statistic data, supplemented by forms and critically empirical description to illustrate that, after opening the commercial port, cotton became the major export commodities, and it also changed the city's economic structure which was mainly based on handicraft industry. Substantive cotton transshipment trade disintegrated Shashi's self-sufficient economy gradually, and accelerated the formation of cotton market industrial chain, then established the city's economic foundation of modern Shashi.Chapter Four discusses Shashi's city structure and changes of social stratum. Through a complex perspective of the "Western Wind" across the city, this chapter shows the imitated new commercial, new telecommunications industry, new financial industry and new national enterprises, and so on. In the social sectors of the separation and polymerization level, the new chamber of commerce, the comprador class and other new social forces appeared; social changes have made people lose part of the old sense of security, and have exacerbated the new tensions.Chapter Five discusses some thoughts about Shashi's opening the commercial port. Although it was a humiliation in history, the use of force to the opening has become an opportunity and startup power for bringing Shashi into the modernization trip. Shashi has been involved in the whirlpool of social cataclysm, injected some new elements and came into a capitalist-style rapid development stage. It has promoted the advanced productive forces and the spread of modern scientific and cultural knowledge, and has provided soil to the formation of progressed thinking of Shashi national bourgeoisie and new type intellectuals. In addition, opening the commercial port had a far-reaching impact to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River region's politics and economy, and its economic and cultural development also provided a sample and good opportunity to the surrounding towns. to revive the economy with other cities in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.This paper had some innovations which are mainly reflected in four respects: First, recalling the Shashi city's history of opening port in a certain extent. The author digests and activates the sporadic collection of valuable historical documents seriously. Fragmentary history was combined to be the independent writing on the topic of opening port and the social face in the transition period was reproduced. Second, in methodology, the author is more concerned about a short-term regional socio-economic history than gives the narration wide coverage. Thus, not limited to the "national" comprehensive history of political borders, the study really shows the "newly discovered' particularity in the regional history. Through the microcosmic study and narration of regional socio-economic history, the author reflects on the previous sensitive "abdication", "colony" independently to achieve a comprehensive and correct historical pursuit. Third, in the microcosmic study, the author attempts to use a broad academic perspective to observe the flow of history. The author discusses not only the "business theory" but also shows Shashi's socio-economic transformation in the political, social, economic and cultural framework with multi-angle and multi-level. Fourth, by referring to multidisciplinary knowledge, this paper comprehensively analyzes Shashi's opening the commercial ports. The author uses the history, political economics, marketing, culture, sociology and other academic knowledge, to make the solid history "speak", in order to show a "multidisciplinary dialogue" picture in a short paper.