A Study Of Modern Shipping Industry In Hunan Province

Located at the central part of China,Hunan is a typical inland province at the middle branches of the Yangtze River.As most of the mountains within this province stretch from the southeast to the northwest,the four major rivers—Xiang,Zi,Yuan and Li—crisscross the southern part of the region with their branches and meet with Yangtze River in the north.In this way,the water transport network in Hunan,with Dongtinghu Lake as its hub,is linked externally to the Yangtze River and internally to 74 cities and towns.Such a facilitating water transport has long won the province the reputation as "a land of water".Up to the modern times,the ups and downs in the development of shipping industry in Hunan have brought about many economic changes to the waterside cities and their surrounding areas. Such changes in an inland central province also mirror the trend and degree of China's economic development as a whole in the modern times.This thesis looks at the economic development of this region under the changes in its shipping industry and disuse the relations between the two.We intend to explore the due role of inland navigation in the comprehensive transport network.The favorable water transport network provided advantageous waterways for the rise of modern shipping industry in Hunan,while various economic and political changes in the modern society offered a strong economic driving force.Therefore,modern shipping industry emerged as the representative of new productivity and new production relations.However,the special national conditions of China in modern times have determined that the development of modern shipping industry in Hunan is destined to be an unusual process.It was constrained by foreign shipping forces at the very beginning,then boomed during the period of National Government,declined sharply during the Anti-Japanese Aggression War,and finally witnessed a temporary recovery during the Civil War period.Although the shipping industry at different stages of its development is different from each other due to changes in the historic environment,there is still a sense of continuity.For instance,apart from the external social environment,the official shipping industry management institutions and other non-governmental industrial organizations also have exerted great institutional impact on the development of modern shipping industry in Hunan.As representatives of different interest groups,it is inevitable for governmental and non-governmental shipping industry organizations to have disputes over interests.Such disputes can be reflected by their interaction of continues negotiation and confrontation.Dialogue and tradeoff between governmental management institutions and non-governmental shipping industry organizations are products of the times,but they in turn impose a substantial influence over the trend of the history. Modern shipping industry in Hunan is the result of regional economic development.It is also deeply influenced by economic changes.However,the development of the industry has also imposed great impact on the development of regional economy.The enhanced transport capability has not only expanded the market,but also promoted the industrial and trading growth in the region and transformed people's ways of living and doing business.Moreover,the development of shipping industry is also very important for the prosperity of a city.We made a comparison between the development of shipping industry in Hubei province and that in Hunan.The outcome was that the latter has not only been influenced by the economic development of the region but also helped consolidate and promote the growth of regional economy.The two provinces have different features in terms of their modern shipping industry.Driven by different forms of shipping industry,the economies of the two provinces are also on different tracks of development.Shipping industry plays an important role in the transport of inland provinces;it is also a vital part of production.So,shipping industry is very crucial for regional economic development.Regional economic progress benefits and affects the development of shipping industry,which,in turn,helps to consolidate and advance the regional economic growth.In the comprehensive transport network,all forms of transport play their due and irreplaceable roles in national economic development.Shipping industry stands many distinct advantages in terms of cost,capacity,energy efficiency and fixed-assets efficiency.Therefore,it is conducive to include the shipping industry into the efficient,convenient and economical stereo transport network,and fully leverage its advantages to supplement other forms of transport.This will help enhance the efficiency of the total transport system,and also facilitate the progress of social production.