Booklet 6 - Improved communications and applying western technologies

Question 1

3 examples of water transport under the Qing

Answer 1

treaty ports (5 in 1842, 50 in 1900)
imperial canal (many parts in disrepair as 2000 years old)
naval defeats against the british pushed for modernisation/self strengthening

Question 2

challenges to development of water transport under Qing

Answer 2

Qing reluctant to allow foreign trade/modernise - Cixi used naval funds to build a marble ship in the Summer Palace
Lack of funds due to an unstable economy/high interest foreign loans

Question 3

impact of development of water transport (Under Qing)

Answer 3

flooded China with cheap, foreign goods which upset local artisans
missionaries used waterways to push christianity into China
further foreign exploitation - first major western advance into China as they invested in steamships. The industry couldn’t operate without foreign involvement.

Question 4

water development example - 1872

Answer 4

China Merchant Steam Navigation Company 1872

Question 5

water development example - 1894

Answer 5

the Chinese hired a ship from British to fight Japan in Korea

Question 6

Railway development - Qing

Answer 6

Qing - Trans-Siberian Railway controlled Manchuria. Boxers targeted railways 1898. In In 1911 Qing purchased and dismantled foreign railways (sent steel to Taiwan).
By 1881 there were 50 miles of railway in hina.

Question 7

Railway development - GMD

Answer 7

GMD - Chiang encouraged development and foreign investment. 1936 - 5 year railway construction plan.

Question 8

Railway development - Mao

Answer 8

Mao - First 5 year plan relied on railway expansion (1952–>). And Mao’s ‘Third Line’ 1864 onwards due to fear of western invasion.
During the Cultural Revolution rail transport declined (although this is how young people moved to the countryside).

Question 9

Development of roads - GMD

Answer 9

Chiang Kai Shek saw roads/cars as the ultimate symbol of modernity. He used the roads to move troops around. 1500 miles of roads built during encirclement campaigns.
Peasant labour force built 71,000 miles of road by 1936. Provided jobs.
Burma Road (700 miles long) supplied GMD against Japan with arms/food/fuel.

Question 10

Challenges to road development

Answer 10

• Sun Yat-Sen’s focus had been the railways
• Embezzlement and corruption were rife in the projects (Burma Road was paid for by Chinese-issued war bonds).
• Boxers

Question 11

Development of the telegraph

Answer 11

Introduced by foreigners (British/French) in 1869 - China Submarine Telegraph Company (British).
By 1880s, 76 Chinese-owned companies set up.
Spread new ideas to China from the USA - global connection. Helped connect rural/urban areas.

Question 12

Challenges to telegraph development - GMD

Answer 12

Japan captured and controlled telegraph 1937–>
When the USA withdrew from Chinese telegraph companies, stations were closed and wires fell into disrepair as the priority was the communists.
Cost.

Question 13

Key dates for air transport development

Answer 13

1929 - US set up China airways and sold a plane fleet to CKS. 1937 - Flying Tigers.
1949-76 - Lull as Mao wanted military air travel developed. Saw commercial travel as luxury.
1980 - Deng rapidly commercialised and passenger travel increased by 436%. 19 new airports by 1990 and travel subsidised by PRC as domestic tourism was encouraged.

Question 14

Challenges for air travel development

Answer 14

Under Mao, aircraft travel was seen as a bourgeoise luxury which China couldn’t afford. Connected with capitalist consumerism. Lull 1949-1976.
Cultural Revolution - collapse in safety standards. 30 accidents.
By 1997 - excess capacity meant industry revenues slumped as there was not enough demand.

Question 15

Why did the Qing start to develop

Answer 15

• Britain had control of waterways due to naval steam power/victories in naval wars
• China said the only reason they lost against foreigners was because they had better techonologies.

Question 16

Boxer Rebellion - steamships

Answer 16

they saw steamships (and trains/telegraphs) as foreign and therefore unwelcome.
targeted by rebels.

Question 17

railways were pioneered by..

Answer 17

british
first stretch of railway build in 1876 was at Baoshan.
local people protested as it ignored feng shui.

Question 18

Japan and railways

Answer 18

Russia had extended influence through railways in the north since work began on the Trans Siberian railway in 1897. it became the longest railway line in the world.
in 1904, the Japanese fought a war with Russia and so it passed into the Japanese’s hands.
shows how strategically important the railway was.

Question 19

Sun Yat Sen and railways

Answer 19

planned a new national network of 70,000 miles - partly inspired by US rail network.
main problem was financing - China was virtually bankrupt by 1912.
Very naive as much of the country was ruled by warlords. His ideas still hadn’t been achieved (connecting alll regional capitals) by 1987.

Question 20

Problem with railways during FYP (1st)

Answer 20

the lines either closed/collapsed under the weight of the trains due to unskilled labour and poor-quality steel.
the existing system of track was also overwhelmed by the number of train journeys it had to accomodate. e.g. in Hunan, 200,000 tonnes of food sat in warehouses every month but only 60,000 tonnes could be transported.

Question 21

Japanese invasion and roads - jobs created

Answer 21

huge labour force
refugees and displaced people were desperate for employment
truck drivers became some of the best-paid and idolised figures in the Chinese workforce.

Question 22

air travel 1979-1989

Answer 22

four times as many commercial aeroplanes in use.
(but companies were forced to rent aircraft from overseas).