| The end of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China is a time of great changes in Chinese society.Hangzhou,as the capital of Zhejiang Province and an important trading port in the south of the Yangtze River,in that turbulent and revolutionary era,all aspects of the city have changed more or less,but it also retains its old characteristics.The rapid development of commerce is an important manifestation of Hangzhou’s urban modernization.From 1912 to 1936,the business of Hangzhou showed a unique development process.To a certain extent,the commercial district of Hangzhou in the early period of the Republic of China was a continuation of the “Market(市)” of the Qing Dynasty.During the Qing Dynasty,the market intensive areas were still important commercial areas in the early Republic of China.At the same time,with the influx of new things and the government’s planning,there are new business districts in Hangzhou,and the business forms have the characteristics of the new era.This paper takes the commercial district of Hangzhou in the early period of the Republic of China as the research object,studying the commercial distribution,business characteristics,and the impact of the commercial district on the urban economy of Hangzhou in the study period.Meanwhile,this paper have a glimpse of the characteristics of Hangzhou commercial network and the unique charm of Hangzhou commercial network in the early period of the Republic of China.In the early period of the Republic of China,Hangzhou formed five main business districts,namely Xinshichang business district,Chengzhan business district,Jianggan business district,Gongshu business district and Zhongshan Middle Road,the traditional business center.(1)The Xinshichang area is a commercial area formed under the government planning,with developed leisure business.Its prosperity strengthens the connection between the West Lake area and other areas in Hangzhou City,combines the cultural and natural landscape of the West Lake with business,attracts a large number of tourists,and promotes the development of tourism in Hangzhou.(2)The Chengzhan area is a commercial area due to the rise of new traffic,and the Hu-hang railway brings great benefits to the city station area.The quantity of business travel,catering industry and hotel industry are very developed.However,after the rise of the Xinshichang,the high-end hotel industry gathered in the Xinshichang area,and the hotel facilities and scale in the Chengzhan area were not as good as those in the Xinshichang.As the first new urban area in Hangzhou,the most fashionable new theatres and cinemas first appeared here,becoming a good place for citizens’ leisure and entertainment.(3)After entering the Republic of China,Zhongshan Middle Road,the traditional commercial center,still maintained its leading position in commerce,and the traditional commercial categories were still developed,and new changes with the times have taken place.A large number of modern banks,together with the original banks,formed a new business form of“Financial Street”.(4)Jianggan and Gongshu,located outside the city,continued the function of Qing Dynasty transfer base relying on waterway transportation,but the new traffic brought more or less influence to the two places.Jianggan area has the advantages of water transportation and railway transportation,with gathered warehouses and developed transshipment industry.The gathering of merchants and porters led to the development of catering industry,grocery industry and other industries.(5)Gongchen Bridge area in Gongshu area was designated as concession in the late Qing Dynasty,and experienced a short period of prosperity after the development of China and Japan,but due to Japan’s abnormal development of the area and the development of Gongchen Bridge itself.After the Republic of China,the local business gradually declined.Each of the five major business districts has its own characteristics,and together they form the urban business network of Hangzhou. |
