近代上海城市对于贫民的意义

The Significance of Modern Shanghai City to the Poor

近代上海城市贫民主体部分是从乡村迁移而来。乡民进入上海以后,一部分变成了产业工人、商店职员、家庭服务人员与劳工,也有的成了无业者、流浪汉。其中,产业工人为比较贫困阶层,人力车夫、码头工人等劳工为非常贫困阶层,无业者、流浪汉为极端贫困阶层。产业工人、商店职员、家庭服务人员的经济收入与社会地位较之他们此前在乡村时,都有所提升。劳工与流浪汉虽然极端困窘,但较之完全破产的农民,处境依然有所改善。产业工人在城市中并非是最底层。产业集聚、人口集聚与财富集聚的叠合刺激了社会分工,促进了新的行业发展,凸显了贫民群体的存在,提升了贫民个人的素质,强化了贫民群体与其他个人、群体、机构对话的力量,也有利于引起政府对贫民问题的重视与解决。贫民在上海的高度集聚,为贫民群体向上移动提供了动力,提升了贫民群体抵抗风险、应对灾难的能力,增强了这一群体在城市生存的耐力。在这个意义上,城市虽然不是贫民的天堂,但至少是他们的希望。

Modern Shanghai collected the most poor people in the country. The main part of the urban poor was migrated from the countryside. After the villagers entered Shanghai,a considerable portion of the people became industrial workers,shop staff,family service personnel and labor,and some became unemployed and tramps. The high concentration of the poor in Shanghai had provided nutrition and motivation for the poor people's upward mobility. It had increased the ability of poor communities to resist risks and cope with disasters,and had enhanced the endurance of this group in urban life. In this sense,the Shanghai city was not the paradise of the poor,but at least their hope,and it was not their hell.