People from Hankou, this old newspaper helps you salvage the city's memory of "Oriental Chicago"

More than two thousand years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle had a famous saying: "The growth of the city -state is out of the development of human 'life", but its actual existence is for' excellent life '. "

For a better life, more and more people choose to migrate to the city. The "Special Edition of the China Human Development Report" released in 2019 pointed out that China has become one of the fastest urbanization countries in the world. By 2030, China's urban population will reach 1 billion.

When we allocated the pointer of time back for 120 years, returned to China in the early 20th century, and returned to the origin of modern Chinese cities -commercial port cities, such as Shanghai, Hankou, etc., through newspapers, etc., we can see Under the influence of Western modern civilization, people's lives have become more colorful.

Electric lamp

In the late Qing novelist Li Boyuan described the novel psychology of foreign lanterns bought from Shanghai from Shanghai in "Little History of Civilization":

I always see how foreigners are civilized, and I can't think of the truth. Now, as far as this foreign lamp is concerned, the light is bright, which is evidence of foreigners civilization. However, I also saw the newspaper saying that there are any tap fires and electrical lights in Shanghai. His bald heads have to get dozens of candles, and I do n’t know how to shine than this foreign lamp? It is sighed that we were born in this remote place. It ’s like sitting in the well and watching the sky. I’ m not knowing everything.

The three brothers of Jia expressed their eager longing for Shanghai through foreign lights. They felt that there were novel stuffs like "foreign lanterns" and "tap fires" like port cities like Shanghai, which was a symbol of modern urban civilization. At the end of the 19th century, the "Declaration" reported on the Electric Lantern Corporation of Hankou:

Hankou's visiting friends handed Yu Su Yun, and some people recently asked the offering of electric lights in Jianghan Guan. After the instructions of Qu Gengfu's visit to the Lian Lian, it is said that there are 200,000 silver and the official silver number, and Fangzhu opened. Because Jun Jun reported to hear, and a giant businessman co -organized the co -organized by the foreign merchants, he had already purchased the foundation at Qiaokou, thinking that he was in the place of hair. Everything has also been invited to the Shanghai purchase office. I want the world to be bright.

In 1906, the "Declaration" reported the news of Hankou's electric lighting company:

Hankou founded the electric lamp company repeated reports. Hewen Dangdang decided to hold it. He has transported the machine to his engineer to send it into Changchun stack.

Two years later, according to the Hankou China West News, Hankou town was equipped with a total of 5,000 electric lights.

Road

The road is one of the representations of modern cities. As early as the end of the 19th century, the "Declaration" mentioned the reason why Shanghai residents enjoyed the concession. Those who say that it is easy to galloping the ears ", and pointed out that the prosperity of Shanghai is because of the road," the prosperity of the Shanghai listing, half from the road. "

The earliest road of Hankou appeared in the British Concession, and the earliest Huajie Road was built in Houcheng Road, which was built in 1905.

Houcheng Road was built on the original site of Hankou Castle. The Republic of China "Xiakou County Chronicle" wrote: "Houcheng Road is on this road, and the road is born in the road. Rail transportation, the shop is standing up, and it is incredible. "

Hankou repaired the road, and next to the urban area installation of street lights. The Hankou China West News also reported:

The special officer of the Police Third Bureau Guanqing Da Ling, nearly a secluded place in the area under its jurisdiction, adds street lights to avoid darkness at night, inconvenient pedestrians, and light lights shining on the thief.

In the area of ​​Houhu, the flourishing ground is empty recently, and there are many ponds and ports. Pedestrians are quite inconvenient at night. The head of the economy is now planning to add street lights along the road to avoid the danger of suffering at night.

Human car

At the beginning of the 20th century, Hankou's old city wall experienced more than 40 years of wind and rain, and it was no longer unable to stop the city's growing scale. It was eventually demolished. It was replaced by a road in a modern sense. Essence

The customs report wrote: "The old city walls from Hanshui to French Concession have been demolished to the south of the French Concession, and the foundation of the inside of the city wall has been filled as high as the top of the city wall. ... In 1900, a carriage in the concession area, several human vehicles can be made in new things. Now the human vehicles in the concession area have developed to 1,000 vehicles and 7 cars. The three towns in Wuhan can be heard everywhere. "

At the same time, the plan to introduce trams in Hankou has begun to appear, and the "Declaration" reported on this:

Liu Yishengjun, a wealthy businessman of Hankou, planned to organize a tram company in Hankou Concession and Huajie Houcheng Road. Due to the disaster of the Tianjin tram, the resistance of the tram, specially hired tram experts to study the method of avoiding, and taught the driver's driving method.

Factory hospital

At the beginning of the 20th century, under the promotion of Zhang Zhidong's business war, the Hankou gentleman and business class founded a large number of factories to compete with foreign products. The report published earlier reports from the founding plant of Hankou:

Recently, Hankou's business is full of business, which has been very different in the past. In addition to Yichang, the Yangfan Factory also has another business to start a festival. The Huahua Paper Cigarette Company has also started. Four houses and weaving factories have been built. The factory has a letter of adding to the noodle factory. Like it, pay attention to business. At the same time, during this period, with the advocacy and funding of Hankou gentlemen, Hankou began to raise office health and build a modern hospital. The Hankou Zhongxi Daily also paid attention to this.

Liu Yisheng observed his enthusiastic public welfare. He donated 6,000 squares and donated 10,000 yuan to set up a Chinese hospital. He was funded by the Chamber of Commerce.

During the process of accepting modern material civilization in Hankou residents, modern newspapers represented by Hankou China and West became a "intermediary", not a "tool". It also means the center, which means public space and public interest. "

It can be said that with the Hankou after modern newspapers and magazines, there is a public life of modern cities. This is different from the public life of the town in the past. It is characterized by the increasing sense of urban residents' intervention in cities. Cities are no longer just a place to trading and entertainment, or a home of life.

*Source: "Create" Oriental Chicago ": The Change of the Culture of Hankou City in the Late Qing Dynasty", there are deletions and modifications

Interactive today: Do you have any special memories for Hankou? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to share with us ~

"Create" Oriental Chicago ":

The Change of the Culture of Hankou City in the Late Qing Dynasty "

Wang Yuanqing

ISBN: 9787309161236

Publishing time: June 2022

Fudan University press

Summary

What is the relationship between the development of modern cities with modern newspapers? How does modern newspapers affect the culture of modern cities?

This book is centered on Hankou and the commercial newspaper "Hankou China West News" in the late Qing Dynasty. It integrates the attention of China's urbanization process and the care of China's modernization to examine the growth and changes of the media and urban modernization.

The author demonstrated the urban change scroll of the late Qing Dynasty in the late Qing Dynasty with its informative materials and vivid descriptions. The main conclusions are: First, the late fresh newspapers are important forces to promote urban modernization; second, Hankou City's modernization first occurred in material areas such as electric lights, roads, newspapers, tap water, etc. to change the daily lifestyle; third, The reader group of modern newspapers and periodicals is an intermediary to build and inherit urban culture; fourth, the formation of Hankou's modern culture is jointly promoted by internal and external factors, and it has taken a self -update and innocent road.

Researchers who are interested in urban communication, modernization of China, and urbanization in China, the research perspective and rich historical materials of this book should not be missed.

About the Author

Wang Yuanjing, a native of Yixian County, Anhui, a doctor of journalism from the School of Journalism and Information Communication of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a lecturer and master instructor of the School of Journalism and Communication of Guangxi University. The field of research is newspapers and cities, cities, and cities, and published related papers in academic journals such as "International press" and "Spring and Autumn".

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