The Central Design Bureau And The Wartime Railway Design Plan (1940-1945)

The Central Design Bureau,which belongs to the Supreme Committee of National Defense,is an organ set up by Chiang Kai-shek to implement the "tripartite administrative system" proposed by him.Its main function is to undertake the task of design and to preside over the design and audit of the national political and economic construction plans.In wartime,the Central Design Bureau made clear arrangements from railway design in Northwest China to railway planning in Southwest China,from railway line arrangement to annual Railway Fund replenishment plan,from the return of wartime traffic equipment to the reception of foreign materials after the war.The Yunnan-Myanmar Railway,as the main international route in the southwest of China during the war,was designed by the Central Design Bureau in connection with the special situation of the construction of the southwest railway during the war.Among them,the selection of wide-track or narrow-track,the recruitment of staff in the southwest region with harsh climate and the prevention of malaria are all related to domestic and foreign railway construction experts and experts.The medical staff had a deep discussion and worked out a series of practical methods.However,due to the influence of the political environment at that time,the government was uncertain,the construction plan was repeated,and a lot of valuable time was wasted,which led to the failure of the construction of the Yunnan-Burma Railway.The special background of the Anti-Japanese War and the game between the central and local governments have added many unique colors to the wartime railway planning and modernization transformation of the Central Design Bureau.Railway design is more important than road construction itself.Railway construction itself has the whole system and overall plan.Because the outline of the road network should be first defined,and then the trunk lines and sub-lines should be further stipulated to cooperate,the Central Design Bureau played an important role in the railway planning in wartime,and promoted the development of modern railway industry and the progress of modernization of China.However,the fate of administrative innovation ultimately depends on whether the regime that carries out this kind of innovation has the vitality to promote social and economic development.The establishment of the Central Design Bureau in wartime is a reasonable way of administrative "innovation",but because the actual administrative essence of the National Government has been rotten to the depth and the accumulation is difficult to return,it is difficult to effectively implement the rules and regulations of the Central Design Bureau.In addition,at that time,China was full of the disadvantages of the unified supply and marketing,and the international situation was also fraudulent.The Central Design Bureau had not yet prepared for the rapid arrival of the victory of the War of Resistance,which eventually led it to the end with many problems.