Research On KiuKiang Port Trade And Its Hinterland Socio-economic Changes (1864-1929)

The opening of Kiukiang port is a landmark event in modern Jiangxi.In 1858,the Tianjin Treaty incorporated Kiukiang into the first batch of trading ports in the Yangtze River Basin,and Kiukiang officially opened and collected dues in December 1862.As the only opening port of Jiangxi's modern foreign trade,Kiukiang opened a window for Jiangxi's inland to face the world directly.The transmission of import and export trade and the wedge of foreign culture drove the changes of traditional social and economic structure.Based on Chinese Maritime Customs Historical Materials,Customs Reports and Trade Return,this paper analyzes the social and economic changes of Kiukiang port and its hinterland from the perspective of “port-hinterland”.The trade structure of Kiukiang experienced the changes of two stages,before and after the Sino-Japanese War.Before the Sino-Japanese War,Kiukiang was in a trade surplus,and then it changed to a trade balance.The trade of Kiukiang depends on the vast hinterland as the support,and the import of foreign goods continues to be sold to large and small towns in the mainland,native goods are directly or indirectly exported from Kiukiang to all parts of the world.Its hinterland covers most of Jiangxi,southern Anhui,eastern Hubei and western Fujian,even as far as Hunan,Guizhou and Guangdong.At the same time,the opening of Kiukiang port has affected the economic and social changes in Jiangxi.The traditional self-sufficiency small-scale peasant economy has gradually disintegrated.The proportion of grain crops in the agricultural production structure has decreased,while a variety of cash crops have been widely planted.The industrial and commercial structure has also been adjusted.Capitalist modes of operation and production have emerged.Social life has also undergone tremendous changes.New types of transportation such as railways,highways and ships have developed rapidly.Various aspects such as municipal medical culture have sprung up vigorously.The opening of Kiukiang port is the starting point of Jiangxi modernization,although the development of Jiangxi society is not satisfactory in this process,it was enough to make Jiangxi move forward along the road of modernization.