Jilin Telecom Industry In Late Qing Dynasty

The telegraph technology was an outcome of western industrial revolution.It symbolized that human being's life came into the time of electronic telecommunication and represented the birth of this new-emerging industry.The invention of telegraph technology gives the profound influence and makes the great changes to the modern society.The development of telegraph industry in China starts late than the western developed countries.When the telegraph industry played its great role in western countries,the Chinese people were in the panic of the western advanced industrial technologies.For the telegraph technology,the Chinese people experienced a process from preliminary contact to further knowing between the period of Tongzhi Emperor and Guangxu Emperor in Qing dynasty.In 1877,the first telegraph line was built up in Taiwan province,and the trunk telegraph line between Beijing and Shanghai was established in 1880.Chinese people's attitudes to telegraph technology had changed from the firm refusal in the beginning and the passively accepting to actively setting up independently at last.This change resulted from the environment effect of home and abroad at that time.The establishment of modern telecommunication industry in Jilin province was stimulated by the invasion of imperialism. The Hunchun County was close to Russia and far away from Jilin city which was the capital city of Jilin province.It need several months to submit the report from Hunchun county to Jilin city.Some important military intelligence delayed due to the undeveloped communications.In addition,the Czarist Russia often invaded to China and created the incidents on the border.Therefore,on December 14 1885,General Xiyuan of Jilin province and Mr.Li Hongzhang who was the special minister reported to the Qing government to set up a telegraph line from Hunchun city to Jilin city.The Qing government approved the report and this telegraph line started work on October 27 in 1886.Thus,the telecommunication industry settled down in Jilin province.Introduced from the western countries,the new-emerging telegraph industry can't be simply regarded as the outcome of the realization of the conspiracy of the invaders.As one of the successful industries operated by the Qing government,the telegraph industry exerted the great significance to the various of facets of China's social life at the end of Qing dynasty and even to the development of the current industries.