Environment·Economy·Society

The object of this essay is the city of Xuzhou in modern history. To supply or prove this study, this essay draws on some relevant information from newspapers and magazines, local records, data of culture and history which is published recently. Meanwhile, the essay references some interrelated theories and methods of some other humanities and social sciences, it also surveys the urban development and the social changes in modern Xuzhou, so it can show the history of the urban development and changes in Xuzhou more clearly, and we can have a clear cognition of the traits and the laws that the modern city how to develop and change.The study is divided into three parts, made up of eight chapters in all. Part One deals with the historical conditions and the changes of environment, investigating the basis and the premise of the urban development in modern Xuzhou.Chapter One investigates the conditions of the. development in Xuzhou, which is on the views of the natural environment and historical conditions of humanities. The changes of environment and the historical conditions of humanities limit the modern changes in Xuzhou. The area which is embraced by hills and rivers makes itself to be the important military-strategic position. Xuzhou has been the capital of the Zhuhou's kingdom for 800 years in history. Although it experienced the wars and floods later, it can be reserved and continued, so we can't say that it doesn't have the major connections with the superior economic conditions, the convenient transportation and the important socio-political status.Chapter Two discusses the transformation of modern traffic in Xuzhou. The transformation of traffic conditions is the main catalyst or impetus of urban development and social changes, and itself is also the outstanding performance in social changes in modern Xuzhou. But most importantly, the changes of modern traffic conditions bring the changes of living environment in modern history in Xuzhou, thus it effects and triggers drastic changes of urban community in Xuzhou. the decline of water transport made negative impacts on the urban development in modern history. The formation of modern traffic system benefits from the construction of the Jinpu and Longhai railways. In modern history, although the construction of the roads in Xuzhou is behind the south Jiangsu province, it has laid an important foundation of the roads development after 1949 with the efforts of the government. The roads have enhanced the relationship between the central city and its county, it also improved the traffic environment of Xuzhou, the other city in Jiangsu and the neighbor province such as Shandong, Henan, Anhui and so on, so it developed the modern commerce and industry in Xuzhou to a certain extent.Part Two is about the development and changes of urban community on the views of urban economy in modern Xuzhou.Chapter Three elaborates the changes of modern industry, analyses the traits of modern industry and the influencing factors of modern urban industry's development in Xuzhou. The transformation of economic industry embodies the traditional economic structure. The changes of modern industry are the process of coexistence and fusion between the traditional and modern factors. The coal mine was mined and operated in 1882, then there was a unprecedented factor in urban economy, which was called the modern industry. It marks the beginning and development of the modernization of industry in Xuzhou. But the modern industry developed slowly and the proportion of it in urban economy was very small. The modernization of the city lacked the industrial base, it limited the attractions and the radiations of urban economy. This is the common features of many small and medium cities in modern history.Chapter Four deeply studies the changes of urban business in modern Xuzhou. The size of the city, its advantageous geographical location and traffic condition and adequate resources made Xuzhou become the commercial city from the year 1911. In modern history, the commercial activities increased frequently, new business arose continuously, the scope of business enlarged gradually. However, the outstanding performance of urban social changes was the innovation of business organizations, that is to say, the new business organizations which were called Chamber of Commerce undertook the new tasks.Chapter Five discusses the evolution and feature of urban financial industry in modern Xuzhou. The development of modern financial industry included the existence of traditional financial industry (such as qianzhuang and pawnage) for a long time, which had held the dominant position in the financial industry and the important roles of adjusting the social economy and the residents' livings in Xuzhou before 1930s. But the development of new banking was slow, it took the dominant position gradually until 1930. it fully showed that the government's control over the financial industry was strengthened continuously. The essay also investigates the influencing factors of the financial industry's development in modern Xuzhou.Part Three is about the changes of modern urban social culture and life in Xuzhou.Chapter Six deals with the disasters in modern history of the city and their features, analyzing the reasons of them. The disasters had an important impact on the city space, community management, social relief and so on. Facing the disaster, the function of social relief had a major conversion. The local government and the power of civil community changed in the position and role of the social relief reversely, it reflected the profound changes of the urban community from the view of other side.Chapter Seven discussed the transformation of the modern education in Xuzhou. The development of urban education had its own characteristics in modern history, and it included some contents and features of the other city's modern education too. It reflected the tortuous road of the modern education in China. The urban education in modern history had experienced the changing course from tradition to modernity, the changes had not only the common traits of the other city's education, but also its own features.Chapter Eight focus on the transformation of the traffic tools, analyzing the trajectory and trait of urban material culture, discussing the interaction between the transformation of the traffic tools and urban social changes in modern Xuzhou. It reflects the traits of urban social changes in Xuzhou on the other side. Traffic tools are the major contents of the changes of urban material culture. In the procession from the tradition to the modernity in Xuzhou, the urban traffic tools inherited the traditional traffic tools and adapted the inherent law of the new products in new times. The changes of it reflect the trajectory and trait of social transformation in Xuzhou.The social transformation of modern Xuzhou is a kind of a multi-dimensional complex procession. It embodies the interaction between the news and the olds, the tradition and the modernity. The interaction promoted the continuous development of the urban community. This essay does a comprehensive analysis on environment, business and industry, society and culture and so on in this city, in order to show the transformation and its reasons of this ancient city in the modern history.