Many kinds of illumination methods, such as torch, oil lamp, candle, kerosene lamp, gas lamp, electric light, and so on, have been applied in the human history. They are not only the important factors for promoting the development of society, but also the sign of human civilization.The electric illumination was invented during the period of the second industrial revolution in the western world. The core technology for electric illumination was to make arc lamp and incandescent electric lighting. At the beginning of 19th century, Europeans began to study the technology of electric illumination. And it was spread to many other areas subsequently, and became a matured technology in the early 20th century.In the late of 19th century, electric illumination was brought into China. In the 1930's, Chinese technical engineers had grasped the basic technology of making incandescent lamp. There are some studies available only on the subject of the history of electric industry or the history of lamp in China so far. But they are not enough for the study on the history of electric illumination, leaving many aspects such as the technical application, knowledge transmission and its social influence of the history of the electric illumination in China which are needed to be probed into. Therefore, basing on plentiful materials and sources, this article investigates the technology importation, knowledge transmission and industry development of the electric illumination in China from 1879 to 1936, and analyzes its social and cultural influence as well.The main points of this article are as follows:Firstly, this article investigates the development of traditional illumination in China, and finds that the traditional illumination is closely related to the whole level of the social technology and the traditional culture. It points out in the article that before the electric illumination was imported to China, the kerosene lamp and foreign candle had been brought into China and been used widely. According to the books in English, the thesis also describes the process of technology research and the industrial development of electric illumination in the western countries. It indicates that the development of electric illumination was basing on the research of electro magnetism, vacuum technology, material & metallurgy techniques and some other theories and technologies.Secondly, on the basis of the correspondence,pictures and objects related to the Chinese electric illumination, it analyses in this thesis the importation of electric lighting from Europe to China. It deems that the electric illumination was introduced to China in the 1870's, and before the end of 1930's Chinese technician had gradually mastered the technology of electric illumination. In this period, the importation had manifested different forms as production, equipment and technical person. The main forms of electric industries were changed from official firm, civilian & official firm to nongovernmental firm in China. On the knowledge transmission of electric illumination in the late Qing Dynasty, some technical books and magazines introduced some theories, technology and application of electric illumination to Chinese. It was helpful for Chinese common people to understand and identify with the electric illumination. In the early Republic of China, the electrical engineering and physics education had played a great role on training technician of electric illumination and promoting the research on the technology of electric illumination in China.Thirdly, grounding on the research stated above, this article analyses the influence of the technical application and the industrial development of electric illumination on Chinese society in later days. The electric industry and electric manufacturing had been driven forward greatly by the electric illumination industry and electric lighting manufacturing. The electric illumination had improved largely the standard of city residents'living, extended the working time of some industries to create more wealth and capital. Cinema and filmstrip which were derived from electric illumination had enriched the life of the city residents. |