CITY OF THE RIVER: THE HAI RIVER AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF TIANJIN, 1897-1948 By AI WANG A dissertation/thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Department of History AUGUST 2014 © Copyright by AI WANG, 2014 All Rights Reserved © Copyright by AI WANG, 2014 All Rights Reserved To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the dissertation/thesis of AI WANG find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. ___________________________________ David A. Pietz, Ph.D., Chair ___________________________________ Jeffrey C. Sanders, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Heather Streets-Salter, Ph.D. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation owes a special great debt of gratitude to my advisor David A. Pietz. I readily embraced his invaluable knowledge to advance my study, support my life, and gain encouragement for my career. Without his help, studying Chinese Environmental History would not have been possible. I also want to express my immense thankfulness to Jeffrey C. Sanders and Heather Streets-Salter who inspired me with their expertise, warmth, and dedication to both Environmental History and World History study. Their assistance and knowledge accompanied me on my amazing graduate journey at Washington State University. This dissertation was financially supported by a doctoral fellowship from the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for the International Scholarly Exchange. This fellowship allowed me to travel between Pullman and Tianjin and made my one-year search of multiple historical records for hints and clues and copying many documents at the Tianjin Municipal Archive and Tianjin Library both affordable and enjoyable. I further thank my friends for their endless encouraging words and intellectual stimulation. They include Laurie Turner, Cherri Wemlinger, Ma Yan, Tang jiahui, Michael Depa, Jennifer C. Brown, Li Bin, Zhou Xin, Yu Yang, Li Xu, Zhou Keke, Peng Jing, Luo Linna, Wu Peiling, Zhang Hong, Zhang Ruojin, Liu Yang, Song Sikang, Chen Peidi, Wang Qianqian, Xu Youjie, Lu Meiyan, Huang Li, Zhang Junmei, Xu Yanli, Peng Xuejuan, Gao Haiyan, Sun Lili, Ye Shan, Wang Bin, Rico Tang. Last, I thank my parents for their always unselfish love and Xiao Qin, who has supported me all through these years and drew all the maps for the final manuscript. iii CITY OF THE RIVER: THE HAI RIVER AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF TIANJIN, 1897-1948 Abstract by Ai Wang, Ph.D. Washington State University August 2014 Chair: David A. Pietz This dissertation explores the modern transformation of the Hai River by the Haiho Conservancy Commission from 1897 when the Commission emerged to 1948 when the Commission became loosely controlled by the Guomindang. Thematically, this research documents the changes to the Hai River and its tributaries and the construction of the city of Tianjin and its waterfront in the modern era. It pays equal attention to the cultural aspects involved, as the river, city, and its people interacted in ways that constructed multiple meanings and new values. The undertaking argues that transforming the Hai River into a navigable river for modern transportation and communication played a critical and dynamic role in building a modern vibrant city. The discussion begins with the vision that the governors in the Qing Dynasty had for constructing an agrarian state with an emphasis on a water conservancy-irrigation project near the city. It examines the State‘s involvement in enhancing the cultural meanings of the river through allowing folk religious practices on the waterfront. It then delineates the major shift from the Qing management of iv water and the river to the series of physical transformations of the Hai River launched by foreign engineers in the Haiho Conservancy Commission and their Imperialist determination to make the city into a modern harbor for commercial businesses. During the lengthy process of change of the natural surroundings, Chinese conservancy commissions also participated in forming and shaping water management policies. The Chinese strengthened its state power by conservancy commission and thus delivered greater influence and incorporated the Hai River tributaries into its own planned economic construction of a state. The river and the city were further transformed by the Japanese. A gigantic Japanese colonialist scheme focused on constructing a comprehensive transportation system in North China, resulting in further changes to both the river and its city. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ iv-v NOTES ON UNITS OF MEASUREMENTS .................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... viii LIST OF MAPS ..................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 2. CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................... 15 3. CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................... 56 4. CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................. 109 5. CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................ 159 6. CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................. 211 7. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 270 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................................ 281 vi NOTES ON UNITS OF MEASUREMENTS The units of measurements were used differently in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) and the Republic of China (1912-1949). The following conversions from Chinese measurements into the metric values show only approximations. Length units 1 li = 576 m 1 zhang =3.2 m 1 chi = 0.32 m Weight Units 1 shi (picul) = 100 jin (catties) = 50 kg Capacity Units 1 sheng= 1000 ml Volume Units 1 fang = 1 m3 Area Units 1 mu = 614.4 m² 1 qing =100 mu =61440 m² Counting Unites 1 gross= 144 items vii LIST OF TABLES 1. Table 1.1 ....................................................................................................................21 2. Table 1.2 ......................................................................................................................43 3. Table 1.3 ......................................................................................................................45 4. Table 2.1 ....................................................................................................................77 5. Table 2.2 ......................................................................................................................80 6. Table 2.3 ......................................................................................................................81 7. Table 2.4 ....................................................................................................................86 8. Table 2.5 ......................................................................................................................89 9. Table 2.6 ......................................................................................................................93 10. Table 2.7 ................................................................................................................100 11. Table 2.8 ..................................................................................................................102 12. Table 3.1 ..................................................................................................................132 13. Table 3.2 ..................................................................................................................148 14. Table 3.3 ..................................................................................................................149 15. Table 4.1 ..................................................................................................................182 16. Table 5.1 ..................................................................................................................259 viii LIST OF MAPS 1. Map 1.1 ........................................................................................................................17 2. Map 1.2 ........................................................................................................................24 3. Map 1.3 ........................................................................................................................27 4. Map 1.4 ........................................................................................................................39 5. Map 2.1 ........................................................................................................................64 6. Map 2.2 ........................................................................................................................84