Study On The Water Supply Business In Jinan In The Republic Of China(1934-1948)

The thesis selects the water supply business in Jinan during the Republic China as the main object of study.Jinan is known as the "City of Springs" because of its special geographical configuration and the abundance of springs that spring up underground.In the historical period before the emergence of tap water supply,Jinan’s urban water supply was dominated by underground water such as springs and wells,supplemented by surface water such as rivers and lakes.And the city’s water supply system was formed with springs as the main source of water,interspersed with wells,rivers and lakes.In modern times,a new commercial port area was created outside the western part of Jinan,and the urban pattern has since changed,no longer being built on water.Compared to the old city,which had many springs and rivers,the area around the commercial port had a lack of groundwater due to the high terrain.With the growth of commerce and industry and the increase in population,the scale of the commercial port has gradually expanded,and the problem of water use has become increasingly prominent.Therefore,in the 1920s,some people called for the establishment of tap water in the commercial port.At that time,the Japanese wanted to build tap water in the commercial port on the pretext that the water quality of the wells in the hospital it operated in the commercial port was poor.Realizing that the right to tap water should be in the hands of the Chinese,the Jinan people immediately rejected the Japanese request and negotiated to build their own tap water.However,due to the lack of funds and the instability of the times,the plan to start the water supply business was put on hold.It was only in the 1930s that Jinan’s water supply business was officially founded.The development process of Jinan’s water supply business during the Republic of China can be divided into three important periods,namely,the initial period(1934-1937),the occupied period(1937-1945),and the takeover period of the National Government(1945-1948).The initial period began in 1934.In March of that year,the Jinan Municipal Water Supply Preparatory Committee was established to be responsible for the preparation and implementation of the water supply project.After two years,the project was completed in 1936.Subsequently,a government-business joint venture,Jinan City Water Supply Co.,Ltd.was established to operate the water supply business.In December of that year,the tap water plant began to supply water officially,and Jinan opened a chapter of tap water supply.The investment and construction of the water supply project in this period laid a material foundation for the development of the water supply business in Jinan during the Republic of China.During the occupied period,the Puppet government liquidated the commercial shares and took back of it from the water company.The water supply business in Jinan was completely public,and the Waterway Administration Bureau was established to manage it.During this period,the number of users installing tap water increased by nearly 2600 compared with 1937,and the number of users using tap water increased the fastest in three periods.Accordingly,the waterworks were expanded,new water supply facilities were added to the water source,and additional water pipes were installed to expand the water supply.After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War,the National Government took over the water supply industry in Jinan again.The Tap Water Management Office was set up to manage the water supply business exclusively.After the post-war reconstruction,there were a hundred things to be done,but due to the subsequent impact of the Civil War,the operation of the water business resumed with great difficulty.The nationwide "coal shortage" also affected Jinan,coal shortage caused the power plant to send electricity to the water plant for a limited period of time,the water plant had to limit the water supply,which in turn led to a"water shortage" in the commercial port.Water supply equipment,which had been in operation for more than ten years,was either naturally aging or damaged by the war,but could not be renewed and repaired in time due to lack of funds and material shortage.Some plans to resume operations and expand were still hampered by the lack of funds.The development of the water supply business had an impact on the urban life of modern Jinan.As a part of municipal construction,the water supply business provided water for industrial and commercial development and people’s life,promoted the improvement of urban fire fighting facilities and enhanced the city’s fire fighting capability,and provided water for urban greening and road cleaning.As one of the public utilities,the water supply business had also taken up the corresponding social responsibility,taking care of the disadvantaged groups and reducing their water bills,showing the public welfare of public utilities.In addition,with the introduction of Western public health knowledge and the establishment of the concept of drinking water hygiene,the government of Jinan included the construction of the water supply business into the government’s responsibilities,and the public was more receptive to such a new thing as tap water,which in turn promoted the development of the water supply business in Jinan.The water selling station was the customer of the water plant and the sales agent of it At different times,the managers of the water business had implemented different charging methods for water sales stations,namely meter billing and monthly rental systems.The latter method was introduced because the water meters were damaged and not easy to repair.Once the price of water became expensive,the public switched to consuming the cheap spring water in the old city or using free well water,and the business of the water sales stations became depressed so that they could not pay for the rental of water stations,resulting in losses in the operation of the water supply business.It reflected the changing interests between the manager,the water selling station merchants,and the public.It could also be seen that,in addition to the difficult circumstances of the times,the loopholes in the management system and the corruption of the managers were also factors that hindered the development of the water supply business in Jinan during the Republic of China.