The Ferry Business And Urban Traffic Network In Wuhan Since The Late Qing Dynasty (1896～1987)

In the modern history of China,the three towns of Wuhan were the important economic and political centers in the Yangtze River basin.With the opening of Hankou in modern times and the introduction of a new social atmosphere,Wuhan society gradually presented a western,pluralistic characteristics.At the end of Qing Dynasty and the beginning of Republic of China,the new ferries were introduced into China and quickly became known by the Chinese people.Under this background,Wuhan ferry industry developed accordingly.This paper takes a specific urban transport vehicle ferry as the research object:ferry is a new industry for operators,a new lifestyle experience in the eyes of citizens,and a public utility for the government,which is related to the government’s control over the city.The superposition of the attitudes of the various characters constructs a multi-dimensional development outlook of the vehicle.So how did this new vehicle enter Wuhan society?How is its business progressing?What changes did it bring to the city and its people?How does the government play a role in this?These questions are the focus of this paper.This paper attempts to draw the development of modern Wuhan ferry and the shaping process of modern Wuhan urban traffic network through the exploration of these problems.This paper is divided into six chapters.The first chapter mainly introduces the establishment process and preliminary development of Wuhan Ferry from the late Qing Dynasty to the Beiyang Period.The second chapter mainly introduces the development of Wuhan Ferry in the early period of the Nationalist Government.Under the development mode of public government,Wuhan ferry infrastructure and related supporting facilities are more perfect,the business mode is more institutionalized and standardized,and there is a qualitative leap and development.The third chapter takes Wuhan ferry during the occupation period and after the end of the Anti-Japanese War as the writing object.The outbreak of the war,the colonial rule of the Japanese puppet led to the Wuhan ferry experienced a "alienation" development stage,the overall development level has undergone a sharp decline.After the "recovery" of Wuhan,after repeated discussions,the ferry finally maintained the pre-war public development mode and started a new development journey again.The fourth chapter describes the development and changes of Wuhan Ferry from the founding of New China in 1949 to 1987.Wuhan Ferry continued to undertake the important task of connecting the two sides of the Yangtze River after it was changed from public to state-owned during the period of the Nationalist Government.Unlike before,with the development of economy and society and the emergence of new transportation,Wuhan Ferry gradually diversified its functions and embarked on a development path that was different from any previous stage.The fifth chapter focuses on the government’s role in the development of Wuhan ferry in modern times.In the whole development stage of ferry,the role of the government shows a changing trend from "weak" to "strong",and plays different roles in different development stages at the same time.In the late Qing Dynasty and the Beiyang period,the government,acting as a third party independent of the operator and the market,was in a "dissociating" state most of the time for the development of ferry,and was never the dominant player in the development of ferry.During the period of the National Government,along with the expansion of modern government functions,the government began to take the initiative to manage and operate such a seemingly"ordinary" thing as ferry because it was closely related to People’s Daily life.After the founding of New China,the government wedged into it with unprecedented strength and breadth in economy,politics,ideology and other aspects,thus realizing the reconstruction of the ferry.The sixth chapter discusses the internal logic relationship between ferry traffic and modern Wuhan city development.The development of ferry accelerates the flow of population and the interaction of regional functions within the city,and at the same time puts forward a new topic for urban governance.Ferry is a mirror of city life,from which we can catch a glimpse of the citizens’ daily life.The intrinsic property of the public space of ferry also promoted the shape of the modern concept of the citizens,and then produced positive construction and control of the urban society,highlighting the modern Wuhan society "modernity".