Study On The History Of Urban Development Of The French Concession In Tianjin(1861-1943)

The French Concession in Tianjin is one of the first foreigners settlements established in Tianjin, which had the most comprehensive municipal facilities and played an important role in the history of Modern China urban development. The history of the French Concession in Tianjin shows us the painstaking efforts of the French colonists so as to conquer China by the establishment of the colonies and the operation of cultural aggression.In order to provide information for the historic district protection and architectural heritage protection in Tianjin old downtown, the urban development progress of the French Concession is systemically studied this thesis, which span the period from April 24, 1861 to February, 1943 when the so called "Tianjin Zizhulin French Land Lease Treaty", was signed between France and China and the French Concession was formally established to the renouncement of Concessions to China. Meanwhile, the causes and modes of urban development of French Concession in Tianjin are analyzed in length in the thesis.In the thesis, several research ways are used such as the literature, field work, case studies and comparative study to conduct the program. The basic data in the thesis included many first hand literature such as the "Archives du consulat de France à Tientsin, 1861-1952" from Le Centre des Archives Diplomatique de Nantes and "Archives du Crédit Foncier d’Extrême-Orient" from Archives Générales du Royaume de Bruxelles which have not been referred by other domestic researchers. By means of these valuable original archives and fieldwork, the author hopes to fill the gap in the urban history and architecture history of Tianjin French Concession, and suggest some innovative ideas on the influence of French nationalism on urban construction in the Hyper-colony City Tianjin and the competition of Sino-French culture.Thesis is in consisting of six chapters. In Chapter I, the objective of the research, significance of the research, the methodology and Archives usage are introduced. In Chapter II, an overview of the birth, the expansion and construction process of municipal facilities of the French Concession in Tianjin are briefly overviewed. In Chapter III, the management mechanism of the city, including policy makers, municipal authorities, municipal regulations and the real estate industry, driving forces of urban development in the French Concession are systemically analyzed. In Chapter IV, the previous urban planning of French Concession is thoroughly analyzed and the impacts of other foreign concessions on urban planning of French Concession are also considered. In Chapter V, the leading architects and main architectural styles in French Concession are introduced. In Chapter VI, the expression ways of French national symbols are described by case studies such as French nationalism style is reflected in the urban space. Moreover, the process from national segregation integration with the development of urban living space is also involved.Based on the full research, the a uthor draws the conclusions as follow: firstly, Tianjin French Concession developed in a competitive environment; Secondly, the policymakers of the French Concession made fully use of the municipal sys tems, city regulations and cultural orientation so as to strengthen the French national identity of the city; thirdly, the large investment of Chinese capital in the French concession is the critical factor to build it into the economic center of Tianjin in Modern time.