| Modern Shanghai, a city of advanced development and with thousands of businessmen gathered, was the national center of trade and finance, but also a first-ratio city covering the Chinese market. As an important auxiliary industry in business, Shanghai's new Ware-housing Industry started after the establishment of the marina business, developed in the 1870s after the opening of the Suez Canal and was perfected during the period of Republic of China. Convenient transportation, innovation of the world shipping industry as well as the implementation of new customs regime jointly contributed to the maturity of Shanghai's Ware-housing industry. It covered a very wide range, wherein Dock and Finance Ware-housing are the most powerful, both showed the rise and fall of Shanghai's Ware-housing Industry. The Ware-housing industry in early days was dominated by foreign businessmen. From Puxi to Pudong, warehouse buildings stood in great numbers with goods in and out frequently. Since the Republic of China, the number of Chinese businessmen increased gradually and could rival with foreign investors. But the good momentum of the whole industry was strangled by the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, as a result, many of the warehouse were used by Japanese military to store weapons after the fall of Shanghai.The capital organizations of Shanghai's Ware-housing Industry were diverse, respectively proprietorships, partnership and shareholding system,among which the final one was of majority during the Republic of China time and was also stronger than the former two. With the continuous development of the Ware-housing Industry, it was inevitatble to witness the emergence of a clear business rules and management model within. Its file issue and regulation formulation gradually became mature, tinged with the modernization. Ware-housing industry treated storage charges and rent as income while its expenditure was very complicated, including staff salaries, miscellaneous tax, insurance and so on. Goods circulation and market liveliness are the prerequisites for it to make ends meet and gain profits.On one hand, the Ware-housing Industry, as one of the most typical special industries in Republic of China, was inextricably linked with banking, and many businesses could only be achieved by cooperating with them. In addition to their own financial stacks, most banks connected with other professional ware-housing to promote goods mortage; also, the operators in the ware-housing industry could increase their credits to attract more business through interacting with banking. On the other hand, Shanghai Ware-housing Industry became the backbone of linking the port city and the central hinterland cities and played an important role in the custody of the goods, financing, collection of money, the transfer of goods and other services, reducing the regional barriers in trade and strengthening economic ties between Shanghai and other parts of China. However, the volatile political situation in the Republic of China as well as the frequent occurrence of natural disasters had a great impact on the progress of the Ware-housing Industry and the result was that many operators in Shanghai were greatly hindered, failing to move forward.Shanghai Ware-housing Industry is not only an important part of developing Shanghai's economy during the period of the Republic of China, but also the epitome of the Urbanization in Shanghai. The ware-housing and logistics industry have significantly developed nowadays, but the efforts made by the operators of the Ware-housing industry should be always engraved. |
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