A Study Of The Post-station Transportation Of Sichuan Provincial Government During The Anti-Japanese War

The function of the Chinese traditional post-station system is conveyance, or called the Post-station Transportation, that then become valid means of the National Government to solve difficult transportation during the anti-Japanese war.The Chinese traditional post-station system compared to the veins and arteries of the China civilization system, was in embryo before Qin Dynasty, took shape in Qin and Han Dynasties, and in Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties tended in complete, in Ming and Qing Dynasties further developed. However, because of the development of modern transportation method, this traditional government-operated post-station system was abolished in the early year of the Republic of China. Take a wide view on the development process of the Chinese traditional post-station system; its function mainly has two: The information delivery and the conveyance of personnel and supplies, in a traditional way, to wit the Post-station Transportation.At the very beginning of anti-Japanese war, China sank into strategic predicament of the transportation power shortage because the development of the Chinese modern transportation business fell behind with the blemish oneself; on the other hand, enemy seized the Chinese transportation facilities in great quantities and adopted the strategic blockade policy to China. In order to get away from this predicament, the National Government recovered the traditional post-station system. The large-scale use of the Chinese traditional transportation power repaired the shortage of the wartime transportation dint, in fact, which inherited the supplies conveyance function of the traditional post-station system, made use of the civil traditional transportation tool and motives well, and undertook the wartime transportation mission for the army and public supplies in great quantities. So this is called the Wartime Post-station Transportation.On September 1, 1940, the Post-station Transportation Administrative Office of the Ministry of Transportation & Communications established in Chongqing, and was responsible for the establishment and management of national wartime post-station transportation. Each province then established that province's administrative office of post-station transportation in succession, and managed each the province's wartime post-station transportation. Under this big background, the post-station transportation of Sichuan was launched soon.On October 1, 1940, the Post-station Transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan was established in Chengdu, which managed completely the operation and management of post-station transportation of Sichuan. It called on the people to participate in the wartime post-station transportation, developed the wartime post-station transportation route, and undertook each kind of supplies conveyance, so it got the government to endorse very much. The post-station transportation of the Sichuan provincial government, was divided into three periods mostly: The first is the period of the total segment of branch line for the post-station transportation , from October 1,1940 to May of 1942, in which the Post-station Transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan developed the five branch line of the post-station transportation successively altogether, namely the Fengjian branch line, the Xinyu branch line, the Yuguan branch line, the Quwan branch line ,the Chuanxi branch line ,and corresponded to establish the post-station transportation organization for the branch lines to engage in the post-station transportation. The second was the period of the area for the post-station transportation, from June of 1942 to March of 1945. In this period, because of the scale extension of the post-station transportation route, the post-station transportation of Sichuan was divided into two areas: The Chuanxi post-station transportation area and the Chuandong post-station transportation area, which corresponded to establish the organization for the post-station transportation areas. The third was the last period with the symbol that Chuanxi post-station transportation area was dismissed in March of 1945. In May of 1946, the Post-station Transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan dismissed, and the wartime post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government was over.For the research of the wartime post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government, the historiography field pays no attention, has no research work up to now, and two monographs only are discussed not thoroughly. So this can be completely concrete thorough research. On a foundation that divides three stages to illustrate the general situation of the wartime post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government, this text gives the historical fact statement and concrete analysis to the post-station transportation laws and facility construction, the operation and management and civil power participation, and then rebuilds this history.In regard to the construction of laws and facility for the post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government, this text inquiries into establishment of various regulation systems of the post-station transportation, and then illustrates and analyzes the collection for the post-station transportation budget with the receipt and expenditure condition, the post-station transportation staff's training and managements, the hire to the post-station transportation courier, the collection for the civil and traditional tool and beast. To provide the guarantee for the wartime post-station transportation, the post-station transportation organizations of central and Sichuan government established the fundamental law and the large quantity post-station transportation laws, and then the more perfect post-station transportation laws system was established that guaranteed the Sichuan's post-station transportation to launch smoothly on the system. The post-station transportation budget collection goes to for the importance. It may be said that Post-station Transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan province for collecting the budget had run out the scheming to beg humbly. Although the post-station transportation often had the deficiency, its budget guaranteed its management basically. Sichuan provincial government held the wartime post-station transportation, and needed a great deal of the talented person, namely the post-station transportation staff. The post-station transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan and subordinate organization held each kind of the post-station transportation staff's talented person training class, which had trained large quantity of the staff. The post-station transportation tool and motives are the roots that the wartime post-station transportation works smoothly. Because of the tool and dynamical severities shortage of the post-station transportation organization oneself, it is inevitable to hire the civil and traditional transportation tool and motives.For the righteousness of the post-station transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan province, one is conveyance and the other is management. The conveyance includes the post-station transportation operation condition, the post-station transportation operation management and the control of the traditional folk-conveyance.About the post-station transportation operation condition, this text illustrates the main conveyances generally, and analyzes conveyance quantity through the years, and then illustrates and analyzes the conveyance form of the post-station transportation, the product structure and its fluxion direction, the price of conveyance and the relation between conveyance price and commodity price. The main product conveyances include the military conveyance of the sixth war area, the food conveyance that the tax on farm land changes to collect the food, the food and material conveyance about special kind engineering and the conveyance of food rice for Chengdu citizenry and the wagon transportation for passenger etc. According to the conceiving of the government at the beginning, that the post-station transportation adopts the conveyance form of the" separating the courier station to transport the product ", however in actual conveyance, the conveyance form of " separating the segment to transport the product "was created, to go with demand of the wartime post-station transportation. The post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government was mainly for the food, so it habitually was listed alone. Analysis to the structure of the product conveyance is the analysis of static state. The analysis of the fluxion direction of the product transport is the analysis of dynamic state. The conveyance price had been perplexing the Post-station Transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan. If post-station transportation can keep on the management, it is essential to draw up the reasonable price as foundation. However, the price of post-station transportation is not from the market to draw up the price, but from the artificial establishment of government, taking no account of the operation profits. However, in actual operation, although the basic price adjusted periodically, the military conveyance price always was away below basic price. Because the commodity price soared rapidly during the anti-Japanese war, and the government regarded the conveyance price as a part of the commodity price, the government subjectively decided to repress to the conveyance price to soar, and then could control the price hike speed, as a result the price control means towards the conveyance price was adopted, but the commodity price couldn't also been controlled. Although the conveyance price adjusted periodically, the commodity price hike ranged away above. This had already affected seriously the management of the post-station transportation. The recession of transportation and the product flow not unimpeded, stimulated the commodity price on the contrary and more on rise.The management of the post-station transportation includes the operation management and the conveyance control. The operation management includes the managements to courier and to the tool and the beast. Aiming at the courier, the Post-station Transportation Administrative Office of Sichuan had adopted much measure. The post-station transportation tool and beast is the root of the post-station transportation. In the operation, the post-station transportation organization of Sichuan Take in to maintain to the tool and the beast. The wartime post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government had to depend on the huge tradition conveyance power, so it is essential to control the tradition conveyance power of folk, to make it be able to participate in the wartime post-station transportation as far as possible.In regard to the tradition conveyance power of the folk participating in the post-station transportation, under the background of the national general mobilization against Japan, a great many people participated in the post-station transportation, which show the spirit of the national general mobilization, and a kind of express for national general mobilization. In addition to common people, the conveyance organization and gentleman of the folk also had participated in the work of the post-station transportation, and promoted together the post-station transportation business to work smoothly. However, because the government held the wartime post-station transportation, it already touched benefits of the tradition conveyance business of the folk, the benefits conflict between the government and folk launched around the wartime post-station transportation and increased with day passing.In short, although the wartime post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government was not quite ideal in actual management, while facing the transportation difficulty, it after all undertook the public conveyance mission of the large quantity supplies, and became the valid means doubtlessly that got away from this predicament. The characteristics and meanings of the post-station transportation of Sichuan provincial government during the anti-Japanese war, was worthy of thorough thinking.