An Analysis Of The National Capital Investment In Modern Urban Water And Electricity Utilities In The Late Qing Dynasty(1900-1911)

In 1890, China emerged the first modern national capital city utilities—Guangzhou Electric Company, whith opened a prelude of chinese national capital investment in modern urban water and electricity utilities. From 1900, the new modern urban water and electricity utilities company invested by national capital appeared almost every year. By 1911, just a decade, the number of modern urban water and electricity utilities company invested by national capital increased to 51, and after 1909, the new enterprises kept in 6 or more every year. So far, the national capital investment in modern urban water and electricity utilities had developed into a new investment trends, and it showed many notable features, such as rapid growth, uneven distribution, single content, as well as be depend on and against for the dualism of both domestic feudalism and foreign capitalism.China's national capital investment in modern urban water and electricity utilities are not accidental, this new trend's came out had deep historical roots. First of all, foreign investment in China's modern urban water and electricity utilities had brought demonstration effect to the Chinese national bourgeoisie; Second, the produced and preliminary development of Chinese national capitalism played a basic role; Third, Chinese consumers and the late Qing government's changed their attitude to modern urban water utilities, that created a favorable external environment for the emergence of the new trend and stimulated Chinese national capitalists' enthusiasm to invest in modern urban water and electricity utilities.The development of national capitalism was characterized by the new investment trends in 1900-1911. it not only created a favorable condition for the traditional capitalist industry's normal operation and efficiency improvement, but also further enriched the development of national capitalism, played an important role in national capitalism breaking through the simple industrial structure. At the meantime, it promoted the urban lifestyles and habits to a healthy, scientific development, accelerated the process of modernization of Chinese cities. Most important, this new trends like a beacon, it leaded the national capitalists invested 24.581 million yuan, set up 286 companies in modern urban water and electricity utilities between the year of 1912-1927, so far modern urban water and electricity utilities was independence in financial, mining, transportation, textile, and had been a newly favor investment area to chinese national capital.