Study On Automobile Drivers In Shanghai(1901-1937)

Vocational group is a kind of social group, which is combined from specific vocational purpose and vocational mediation. Researches on social vocational groups in modern times serve to manifest the relationship between career development and social development, as well as to reveal the characteristics of social transformation and development in specific times.This essay studies the vocational automobile drivers in Shanghai during 1901 to 1937.They can be divided into private automobile drivers, public automobile drivers and taxi drivers, according to the automobile usage and operation. This was a new vocational group emerging from the development of transportation. The drivers were mainly the lower class from Shanghai and the surrounding areas, which was develop from traditional vocation like firm low-level employees, servants, coachman.There was a strong sense of Township, kinship, gang inside and their culture lever were primary school and below,lacking mature vocational education. What’s more, the scale of vocational group was small, and its members scattered with a low organization degree. The living standard of its inner sub-groups differentiated based on who they served. Their living standard was superior to normal working class in general,but they don’t have a good reputation because of traffic accidents,involved in crimes etc.with the approach of the anti-Japanese war,automobile transportation transformed from medium or high service to transportation closely related to nation and people.Influenced by the anti-war policy carried out by koumintang Government,the number of automobile drivers expanded,the organization level and social status improved.Automobile drivers,as a kind of vocational group,are born in modern society.Its vocational behavior promoted the modernization of people’s life in shanghai,and facilitated the regularization of city road management,as well as the formation of road culture.Besides,as one of the revealer of social ecology in city,this group differentiated much inside,with a clear classification.They were easily inclined to bad social habits,which also reflect the underdevelopment of construction in shanghai in modern societies.