A Study On The Water Station System In Jiangnan Area In Qing Dynasty (1660-1911)

For this dissertation, the Shui Yi of Jiang Nan will be the research focus. Especially, the history from the year of Shun Zhi the seventeenth (approximately the year of1660), when the central government of Qing dynasty permitted the establishment of the Shui Yi in cities such as Jiang Ning, Zhen Jiang, Chang Zhou, Su Zhou, Jia Xing, Hu Zhou and Hang Zhou, to the year of Xuan Tong the third (approximately the year of1911), upon the end of the Qing Dynasty. The construction of the Jiang Nan Shui Yi was based on the original coaching inn, so Shui Yi usually share the premises with coaching inn. The locations of the Jiang Nan Shui Yi are closely along with rivers and lakes of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou. This special location contributes to exert functions of the Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou, including consolidating the transportation network, transferring information, transporting public official and diplomats from foreign countries, maneuvering the national army, exchanging Xiang Yin, and even developing the area economy. In order to maintain Jiang Nan Shui Yi operate normally, the Qing Dynasty formulated the Shui Yi institution, helping to offer safeguards. During the period of Tai Ping Army, however, Jiang Nan Shui Yi suffered a tremendous loss, with the scale dropped sharply, and the function weakened seriously. The Tai Ping Army built its own communication agency named Shu Fu Ya, which was responsible for transferring information for national security and governance purposes. It replaced the Jiang Nan Shui Yi. When the war was ended, reconstruction projects were started among the folks, which could help to extend the availability of the Shui Yi from the official to the folks. During the reconstruction process of Jiang Nan Shui Yi, some adjustment was made for the Shui Yi institution, in order to continue consolidating the central domination for Qing. With the bring in of new transportation and communication techniques, especially, the postal services, the function of transferring information from Jiang Nan Shui Yi had weakened sharply. Jiang Nan Shui Yi failed to make adjustment on time while facing the changes during the late Qing. And it finally fade out the stage of history, during the "Cai Yi Gui You" era. In terms of You Yi development,"Cai Yi Gui You" is inevitable, considering the fact that some interest and postal sovereignity were involved as well. Therefore the process filled with various conflicts:between the central and the local, different departments, even between China and foreign countries. It is hard to achieve the success for "Cai Yi Gui You". Even though the Qing Dynasty was completely collapsed,"Cai Yi Gui You" has not been fully accomplished, let alone the fully completion of the transformation from the tradition "You Yi" to the modern postal system.