Tian Lan Railway And Gansu Social Change

Tianlan Railway, which covers a distance of347kilometers and the entire rangeof which is located in Gansu province, refers to the Tianshui-Lanzhou section ofLonghai(Lianyungang-Lanzhou) Railway. Tianlan Railway, connecting Tianshui andLanzhou, passes through counties as Gangu, Wushan, Longxi, Dingxi, and Yuzhong.The landforms are complex and the geological conditions are execrable, and hence thework amount is huge. From its initiation to its completion, the railway goes throughthree stages: the late Qing stage, the Republic of China stage, and the People’sRepublic of China stage.Based on the consulting and categorizing of large volumes of relevant literature,the thesis elaborates on the initiation and the process of Tianlan Railway construction.The thesis also expounds the social changes of Gansu province after the completion ofthis railway, such as the management of the railway, the connection between therailway and Gansu’s industry and mining, the connection between the railway and thecity and city dwellers. Meanwhile, the railway’s impact on the rural area and thepeople living there is also assessed from a perspective of rural sociology.The thesis falls into three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.The introductory part includes: the reasons for selecting this theme and the practicalsignificance of this theme; literature review, which includes the literature concerningthe research on Tianlan Railway at various periods; research methods; the new ideaput forth by the author; the focus; and the difficulties.The body of the thesis is subdivided into five chapters. Chapter1is “Theinitiation of Tianlan Railway and its construction”. This chapter recounts how therailway was proposed in the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China, howthe railway was started to construct by the Republic of China, how the railway wassuccessfully constructed by the People’s Republic of China. The reasons for itssuccessful construction are analyzed from factors as the country, local governments,People’s Liberation Army, the people, foreign experts, technicians. Chapter2is “Themanagement of Tianlan Railway”, which introduces the management of passengerand goods transportation. Chapter3is “Tianlan Railway and the rise of Gansuindustry and mining”, which narrates the boost function of Tianlan Railway for Gan’s industry and mining. Chapter4is “Tianlan Railway and Gansu’s urbanization”, whichexplains the influence Tianlan Railway exerts on the urbanization process of Gansuprovince. Chapter5is “Tianlan Railway and social change in Gansu’s rural area”,which expounds how Tianlan Railway has affected people’s social customs andpractices living in rural areas in Gansu province.In the concluding part, the thesis points out the advantages and the residingproblems in the construction of Tianlan Railway.