A Time Warp in Tianjin

[beijingwalker]

A Time Warp in Tianjin

 

[beijingwalker]

China is an ancient country but surprisingly many of the Chinese cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tianjin and Shenzhen are less than 100 years old, with Shenzhen barely 40.

 

[Feng Leng]

Shanghai was around in late Qing already.

 

[oprih]

Tianjin like most Chinese cities is beautiful.

 

[IsaacNewton]

China is an ancient country but surprisingly many of the Chinese cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tianjin and Shenzhen are less than 100 years old, with Shenzhen barely 40.

Very surprising to me how Shanghai wasn't a major Chinese city in its history. It was just a small town with no significance, and completely overshadowed by its neighbors of Hangzhou and Suzhou until the British made it a treaty port. Being the mouth of the Yangtze river, you'll expect it to be a major city much sooner.

Another example is Hong Kong and Dalian. Hong Kong was just a fishing village of 5000 people, but the British made it a metropolis and a major international city. Dalian's was also a fishing village, the Russians built a European looking city for 10 years, and then the Japanese took over and continued developing it for 40 years.

While i'm not saying foreign imperialism in China is good, it did have its positives. Without Hong Kong, Shenzhen will not be what it is today.

 

[Mista]

Very surprising to me how Shanghai wasn't a major Chinese city in its history. It was just a small town with no significance, and completely overshadowed by its neighbors of Hangzhou and Suzhou until the British made it a treaty port. Being the mouth of the Yangtze river, you'll expect it to be a major city much sooner.

Another example is Hong Kong and Dalian. Hong Kong was just a fishing village of 5000 people, but the British made it a metropolis and a major international city. Dalian's was also a fishing village, the Russians built a European looking city for 10 years, and then the Japanese took over and continued developing it for 40 years.

While i'm not saying foreign imperialism in China is good, it did have its positives. Without Hong Kong, Shenzhen will not be what it is today.

Foreign powers definitely brought in some positives such as new technologies, knowledge, law, culture etc which has helped to modernize China.

However we also have to look geographical location in the context of a globalizing world as well. Throughout most of China's history most of the trade happened within the empire, so being at the mouth of the Yangtze river has little significance. That changed when globalization started and trade between nations increased exponentially. Cities with direct access to open seas have the advantage of trading directly with the rest of the world. The Europeans, who have more experience in maritime trade, chose cities with these traits like HK and Shanghai. The Chinese themselves chose Shenzhen. Trade blossomed and these cities flourished.

All these happened because the world is globalizing, and globalization is quite a recent trend. So it isn't surprising that Shanghai is overshadowed in its history because being at the mouth of the Yangtze doesn't confer much economic advantage before the advent of steamships.

 

[beijingwalker]

During most part of the history China banned seagoing activities 禁海令 for fighting piracy， so coastal cities were like the remotest and most isolated places in the Chinese history, their later boom was more to do with the change of this policy and of course western powers served as a catalyst to make that happen.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

China is an ancient country but surprisingly many of the Chinese cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tianjin and Shenzhen are less than 100 years old, with Shenzhen barely 40.

Shanghai, How could you say it has less than 100 years history?!
and before that, Shanghai is called Songjiang松江

Tang Dynasty Tianbao tenth years (AD 751), Shanghai area belongs to Huating County (now Songjiang District). In the Chunhua second year of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 991), due to the continuous siltation of the upper reaches of the Songjiang River and the eastward movement of the coastline, the large ships were inconvenient to enter and exit. The foreign ships had to be parked on a tributary of the Songjiang River called “Shanghai Pu” (the location is in the present Bund to Shiliupu,near the Huangpu River). In the Xianchun third year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1267 AD), a town was set up on the west bank of Shanghai Pu, and it was named "Shanghai Town". In the 29th year of Yuan Dynasty Zhiyuan (AD 1292), the central government demarcated Shanghai Town from Huating County and approved the establishment of Shanghai County, marking the beginning of Shanghai's construction as an individual city.

 

[beijingwalker]

Shanghai, How could you say it has less than 100 years history?!
and before that, Shanghai is called Songjiang松江

Tang Dynasty Tianbao tenth years (AD 751), Shanghai area belongs to Huating County (now Songjiang District). In the Chunhua second year of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 991), due to the continuous siltation of the upper reaches of the Songjiang River and the eastward movement of the coastline, the large ships were inconvenient to enter and exit. The foreign ships had to be parked on a tributary of the Songjiang River called “Shanghai Pu” (the location is in the present Bund to Shiliupu,near the Huangpu River). In the Xianchun third year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1267 AD), a town was set up on the west bank of Shanghai Pu, and it was named "Shanghai Town". In the 29th year of Yuan Dynasty Zhiyuan (AD 1292), the central government demarcated Shanghai Town from Huating County and approved the establishment of Shanghai County, marking the beginning of Shanghai's construction as an individual city.

Most people believe that Shanghai has only been around for 150 years or so, every place has a name in the history and if you just count the years which a place got their names, then every place on earth becomes ancient. The history of a city should be counted from the time when it becomes a real proper city, not a county or village, and plays an important role in their region or their country.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

Most people believe that Shanghai has only been around for 150 years or so, every place has a name in the history and if you just count the years which a place got their names, then every place on earth becomes ancient. The history of a city should be counted from the time when it becomes a real proper city, not a county or village, and plays an important role in their region or their country.

What is Shenzhen's history as a city?

Most people believe that Shanghai has only been around for 150 years or so, every place has a name in the history and if you just count the years which a place got their names, then every place on earth becomes ancient. The history of a city should be counted from the time when it becomes a real proper city, not a county or village, and plays an important role in their region or their country.

You know Suzhou苏州 as well, below it, there are Counties like Kunshan昆山, Zhanjiagang张家港, Taicang太仓, Changshu常熟，are you saying those counties or county level cities are not cities at all!?
A city means there are people who do not do farming to support themselves but other fileds. Shanghai county was one of the richest county even under Qing empire with its powerful textile industry.

Very surprising to me how Shanghai wasn't a major Chinese city in its history. It was just a small town with no significance, and completely overshadowed by its neighbors of Hangzhou and Suzhou until the British made it a treaty port. Being the mouth of the Yangtze river, you'll expect it to be a major city much sooner.

Another example is Hong Kong and Dalian. Hong Kong was just a fishing village of 5000 people, but the British made it a metropolis and a major international city. Dalian's was also a fishing village, the Russians built a European looking city for 10 years, and then the Japanese took over and continued developing it for 40 years.

While i'm not saying foreign imperialism in China is good, it did have its positives. Without Hong Kong, Shenzhen will not be what it is today.

Not British but Hong Kong people, dude, the British provided a good law systems, this is sure of course, but it was the hard work from generation to generation of Hong Kong people made HK great!
The british was also surprised that Chineses had so much hard work spirits and energy as well as dedication to their family and to the society!
China's achievements today is not granted by foreigner investments but by hard work and good policy maker of Chineses own!
When Americans take vacation, we Chineses work as well, when Americans take naps , we Chineses work as well, when Americans sleep, we Chineses work as well, when American s take Christmas vacations, we Chineses work as usual......

American has no position and rights to make any demands on China, but should pay back for the historical unfair treatied such as sino-American unfair Wangxia treaty of 1844, sino-American unfair Tianjin treaty of 1858, Sino-American unfair trraty under eight alliance occupation of Beijing in 1900, sino -American unfair treaty of 1945....... etc.

And today Trump wants China to sign Sino American unfair treaty of 2019???

 

[beijingwalker]

What is Shenzhen's history as a city?

Officially barely 40 years of history, before that it was a sleeping small town of no significance of any kinds.

 

[ILC]

I want to visit Hangzhou someday.