Study On Guizhou Electric Power Industry During The Anti-Japanese War

In the 1870 s,electricity entered the field of production as a new energy,and human history entered the age of electricity.As a basic energy industry and public utility to promote regional economic development and urbanization,electric power plays an important role.With the increasingly urgent economic invasion of the Western powers and the vigorous development of the second industrial revolution,technology such as telephone and electric lights were introduced into China one after another.China’s electric business was started and developed in all parts of the country.In the wave of the construction of electric power industry in China,Guizhou,as an inland marginal province with backward transportation,was independent of the power administration department of Beiyang Government since the warlords of the Guizhou system controlled Guizhou,and it was difficult to get support from its direct departments.In 1923,the introduction of electric equipment led by Zhou Xicheng was followed by the establishment of Guiyang Electric Bureau and other electric enterprises.In 1935,the National Government of Nanjing effectively took control of Guizhou,and Guizhou’s political situation became stable.The electricity industry was further developed by the Construction Committee.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War,the Nationalist government moved to Chongqing.In order to meet the surging demand for materials and national defense during the war,the backward industrial situation in the southwest rear needed to be improved.The construction and development of the electric power industry was highly valued by the Nationalist government.As a natural barrier to the secondary capital Chongqing and a transportation hub connecting the four provinces in Southwest China,Guizhou’s geographical advantages have been highlighted.In order to meet the soaring demand for power during the war and stabilize the production and life of the society in the rear area,Guizhou’s backward electricity industry urgently needs to be improved.During the war,the Resources Committee cooperated with the Guizhou Provincial government to actively develop Guizhou’s rich resources,and gave strong support to Guizhou’s electricity industry in terms of capital,technology,equipment,etc.Coupled with the active participation of the civil forces,Guizhou’s electricity industry achieved leapfrog development in this special period.In addition to the public power plants becoming the main power supply units,many counties and cities have set up small power plants,providing strong support for the popularization of local civilian lighting.In addition,many factories and mines,the military and government agencies have set up their own power plants.The level of power generation and consumption in Guizhou has increased rapidly.During the war,Guizhou electric industry is characterized by suddenness,dependence,state ownership and imbalance.It serves the government,military,businessmen and people in all aspects of production and life.Although the power industry in Guizhou did not achieve the desired results in the actual operation during the war,it still made important contributions to the social and economic development of Guizhou.The supply of electricity made Guizhou realize the leap from the single handicraft workshop in the late Qing Dynasty to the initial establishment of the electric power industry system during the Anti-Japanese War,and then laid a solid foundation for the further development of Guizhou industry after liberation.It has improved people’s living standards.Emerging things such as electric lights,movies and slideshow have transformed people’s way of life into modern ones.Guizhou’s power supply is dominated by the government,government organs and industrial enterprises.In the industrial construction,the war supply industry and equipment and materials related industries take the lead,guaranteeing the production of military materials and making significant contributions to the overall war of Resistance.However,the Japanese bombing and destruction,the inflation in the home front during the war,the weak industrial base and other adverse factors restricted the further improvement and development of the power industry during the war,and the contradiction between power supply and demand in Guizhou has not been completely solved.Guizhou electric power industry,as a catalyst in the modernization process of Guizhou and an important part of the industry,has certain historical value and practical reference for the accelerated development of Guizhou electric power industry.