Research On The Impact Of Railway Upon Economic Development And Social Changes In Modern Anhui(1912-1937)

As an important marker of the modern social progress and productive force, the railway, since itsinception, has exerted great impact upon the development of economy and social changes. Meanwhile,in the half century’s time dating back from the construction of railroad in China at the end of QingDynasty to the start of China’s War of Resistance against Japan’s invasion in1937, the railway playedan important part in enhancing economic development and social renovation.As an important province in Southeast China, modern Anhui was in urgent need of buildingrailway transport, with its abundancy in natural resources and agriculture products on one hand, and anirresisitable demand for the connection between coastal harbors and vast area inland on the other. Withthe building of Jinpu Railway Anhui section in1912, the building and operation of Huainan Railwayand Jiangnan Railway in1930s, the railway system has become an important transporting networkconnecting Anhui and some big cities. What’s more, the old Anhui transporting network, with the onlytransport by river from the East to the West, while lacking any connection between the North and theSouth, was fundamentally transformed. At the joint effort of railway and water transport, modern Anhuitransporting network took on a new look, and dramatically enhanced the economic development andsocial changes as follows.First of all, owing to the building of railway and the promoting of railway transportation, thecommercialization of agricultural products was largely improved in the vast rural area along the railwaylines, especially in the deep remote countryside. In addition to satisfying the farmers’ need of selfsufficiency, the large scaled planting and management model in crops such as wheat, rice, tea andtobacco made the trend of commercialization possible.Secondly, the railway transported large amout of merchandize from the coastal areas to the innerland, and from big cities to the countryside. As a result, modern Anhui industry also started. In themeantime, the railway transport made Anhui, abundant in coal and iron resources, one of the mostimportant suppliers of coal and iron, especially in the1930s’ China. Next, under the impact of railway transport, the pace of modern Anhui’s urbanization was greatlyaccelerated. New cities and towns came into being along the railway lines, and the modernization of theold cities and towns was also quickened. At the same time, the dispute over which city should be thecapital of Anhui, started from Qing Dynasty, took on a new look, with railway as a necessary condition.Finally, while enhancing the development of economy, the operation of railway also affectedpeople’s way of life and social customs. As a modern means of transport, railway acted as a bridge,connecting Anhui with the coastal harbors. In addition to promoting the development of modern Anhuitourism industry, the operation of railway also initiated the modern city life style, and thus Anhui socialdevelopment displayed an open and outgoing outlook.However, these changes and improvement resulted from the operation of railway could notchange the traditional Anhui society. For the majority of people, especially those living in rural areas,the social and economic changes on them were not obvious. Thus, the role of railway upon modernAnhui society should not be overestimated. In a sense, the influence of railway upon Anhui economicand social changes was not only an impulsive force but also a necessity. With the passing of time, thegreat potential of railway could be seen by all. In fact, these impacts were confirmed by the greatachievements in Chinese railway industry after1949.