The Research On The Chengdu's Rickshaw Pullers In The 1930～40s

As a kind of new style vehicle, the rickshawe had ever played very important roles in Chengdu's transportation, and had made very significant contribution for the development of the Chengdu's transportation. Because of a great deal of existence of the Chengdu's rickshaw, the rickshaw pullers, who made lives by pulling rickshaw, also constituted one amount of huge community. In the republic period, the Chengdu's rickshaw pullers constituted a special picture in street, the rickshaw pullers also became an important part in modern Chengdu. This text has described the basic situation of the Chengdu's rickshaw pullers in the 1930～40s from aspects such as source and composition, working ,life style and the marriage and family condition, etc.The thesis includes the preface, text (altogether three parts) and conclusion.Part one mainly introduces the social background that the first rickshaw appears in our country and how to develop in Chengdu. In 1874, the rickshaw streamed into other cities of our country immediately after it appeared in Shanghai. The first rickshaw appeared in Chengdu at the end of the 19th century, and developed quickly, and became an important vehicle.Part two analyzes in detail all the rickshaw pullers' source and component, working, life style and the marriage and family condition, etc. Because of the recession in urban and rural areas of Sichuan, many men who were out of work, were compelled to pull rickshaws. Many rickshaw pullers hadn't their own rickshaws, however, only could rent rickshaws toward the rickshaw companies. The rickshaw pullers met lots of distress, being filled with humiliation.Because of paying too high expenses for the rent of rickshaws, it was very little that the income of the Chengdu's rickshaw pullers earned every day. Many rickshaw pullers were compelled to incur debt to make livings, and so that they owed to lots of debts. For the sake of the life, the rickshaw pullers had to be an existence but struggle.Because of too poor, many rickshaw pullers didn't marry. Of course, some of them had been married mostly before becoming rickshaw pullers or arriving in Chengdu, but the men seldom got married when they were rickshaw pullers.Part three discusses the elimination of the Chengdu's rickshaw and the rickshaw pullers in Chengdu how and where to go. Because it was inhuman to embark the rickshaws, someone suggested abrogating them. Because of the difficulty of actual operation, the republic government didn't formally put forward plan of rescinding rickshaw until the war against Japan ended.As the circumstance was complicated, however, the plan of rescinding rickshaws in Chengdu was without concrete result. But with the development of the Chengdu's bus, finally, the rickshaws finished their history mission. After 1958, the rickshaws disappeared practically in Chengdu.This paper thinks that the Chengdu's rickshaw pullers worked hard, made hard lives, were in the bottom of the society. Their existence state reflected the Chinese people at that time survived very difficult, facing serious existence pressure. On a rickshaw puller running, not only we have already seen the convenience that had brought to the people's work and life by the rickshaw, but also it embodies the existence state of this group in the city and the relation with social other levels.The rickshaw pullers'problem has refracted the deformity of the Chinese society and city's development in the 1930～1940s.The study on the rickshaw pullers, will strengthen to the understanding of every looks of the society of Chengdu during the republic period.