On The Development And Effects Of The Kikungshan Summer Resort (1902-1937)

Modern Western Christian missionaries, (especially the American missionaries) under the protection of unequal treaties, along with merchant ships and warships came to China with giant strides. They entered China from coastal ports to the inner mainland, the XinYang city in Henan province was one of the inner mainland cities they arrived in.Kikungshan was a military spot in history. In spite of its beauty and cool climate, it failed to attract as many tourists and settlers in the mountain as it was supposed to be. With the open of the Yangtze River Reaches and the infiltration of modern missionaries,Nelson found Kikungshan an appropriate spot to avoid hot weather in Summer for foreigners. Thanks to Nelson's propaganda, the number of housing shelters in Kikungshan increased greatly.The formation and development of Kikungshan summer resort was the result of joint efforts of Chinese and the West. In the beginning, the West impacts were dominant. Due to the special historical background, the development process of Kikungshan presented the hue of colonial feature, following the continuing negotiations on the concession. Later, following the West, some Chinese prestigious officials and rich people also began to participate in this process. Although their motives were different, they all made their own contributions to the development of Kikungshan. As the result of the comprehensive development and prosperity of Kikungshan settlement, it eventually formed the status as one of the famous four summer resorts.The formation of the Kikungshan summer resort status brought it tremendous changes. The high prosperity of the tourist economy turned Kikungshan into a "mountain city", and also made Kikungshan a base spot for foreigners in the south of Henan. At the same time, the political and military status of Kikungshan got lifted. The exploitation in modern Kikungshan started the modernization process of Kikungshan areas, which changed the areas from a closed traditional backward hinterland into an open civilized modern tourist town. The development of Kikungshan promoted the advancement in socio-economic improvements of the local and surrounding areas, and speeded up the process of modernization of the region. In addition, because of the prevalence of Christianity in Kikungshan, Western customs and the church ceremony in the mountain became popular, which posed a tremendous impact on China's traditional social customs. The exploitation in Kikungshan promoted the establishment of modern educational system. The church schools brought the way and concepts of Western education into Kikungshan areas, and the rapid development of modern education in Kikungshan soon made it a regional education centre.