British Concession In Tianjin Municipal Management Research In 1929-1941

Modern China has suffered untold hardships and experienced the humiliation. The concession is the product of capitalist powers invading China. The concession has made a great effect on modern China’s politics, economy and society. History and reality are closely linked. The impact of historical events on the today’s society can’t be ignored. Now our country is carrying on the construction of socialist modernization. We cannot forget the history. The concession in Tianjin has almost existed the same time with modern Tianjin city growth. So if we want to study or learn modern history of Tianjin. Tianjin concession is an unavoidable issue.Studying the concession in Tianjin is of practical significance. At present our country is carrying out the reform and opening-up; the research of the concession in Tianjin can make us to be a wide view of today’s reform and opening up, and can provide some necessary beneficial historical reference. At the same time, the research of the concession in Tianjin has its academic significance. The concession in Tianjin of further research is relatively weak, this inadequacy to restrict the research field of the concession. This paper analyzes official and non-official organizations of municipal management of the British concession in Tianjin. We can clear the history of this period; at the same time, the history can also make us accurate grasp the municipal management system of the British concession in Tianjin, and then understand the roles and mutual relations of the official and unofficial agencies in the municipal management.In December17,1860, the Qing government formally approved the establishment of the British concession in Tianjin. In1919the British concession started the unified municipal management, and formulated unified management regulations----the constitution in1918of British Municipal Council in Tianjin. The tenth electoral perennial Assembly of the British concession in Tianjin held on April11,1928. At the meeting the chairman proposed modifications of the constitution in1918of British Municipal Council in Tianjin, then voted and passed. The revised constitution can be called the constitution in1928of British Municipal Council in Tianjin and began to execute in1929. The constitution in1928established the new British concession management mode; then basically the municipal management of the British concession is according to the model, until the outbreak of the Pacific War in1941. Japan took over the British concession in Tianjin in1941. So the time range of this paper is1929-1941.This paper is divided into four chapters. The first chapter mainly discusses the municipal management organization form of the British concession in Tianjin in two aspects. The two aspects are the British concession formation and municipal management organizations formed. The second chapter mainly analyzes the legislature and executive institutions of the British concession in Tianjin. The legislative institution is the electoral Assembly. The electoral Assembly has two kinds of forms:the electoral perennial Assembly and the electoral special Assembly. The executive institution mainly analyzes the Board of directors and the Municipal Council. The third chapter mainly discusses the non-governmental organizations of the municipal management of the British concession in Tianjin.The non-governmental organizations have two:one is the Chinese Taxpayers Association; another is the Custody group. Both of the unofficial organizations actively participate in the municipal management, to a certain extent, to maintain rights of the residents in the concession and make municipal system of the British concession to be the democratic color. The fourth chapter analyzes the roles and mutual relations of the British concession agencies in the municipal management. There are not only consultations and cooperation, but also conflicts and friction between the official agencies and non-governmental organizations. In the conclusion part, from the overall review, on the one hand, the municipal management system of the British concession in Tianjin embodies the decentralization, with autonomy and democracy. Then in the actual operation the system has also played a positive role. On the other hand, the democratic system design of the British concession in Tianjin also needs to have the perfect place. The degree of autonomy and democracy is limited.