试论苏州“五卅路”的修筑起因与资金来源——兼与退款筑路说之商榷

On the Origin of "Wusa Road" in Soochow and Its Capital Source:A Discussion with the Viewpoint of "Being Built with Refund"

苏州"五卅路"为全国唯一以"五卅"命名的城市道路,流行的退款筑路说认为,这是在上海退还苏州各界五卅运动时期的捐款后修筑的纪念路。事实是,苏州提议修筑"五卅路"始于1925年五卅运动初,或许受到了上海各路商界总联合会主张影响,苏州各界联合会决定招收上海罢工工人来苏修筑城外车路,并定名"五卅路",以资纪念。不过以工代赈计划未能实施,最终改在城内言桥至平桥一段,由苏州各界自募资金、自力更生修筑而成"五卅路",苏州总商会承担近半费用。退款筑路说不能成立,苏州各界捐款汇缴上海总商会接济了罢工工人,上海总商会并无退款之举。"五卅路"的修筑历程,彰显出近现代苏州的爱国精神、争先精神和创新精神。

＂Wusa Road＂ in Soochow is the one and only urban road in China named as ＂Wusa＂. The Road had been generally believed to be a commemorative road built with the donation returned from Shanghai （money donated by all walks of life in Soochow to support the Wusa Movement, but later returned）, which made the popular viewpoint of ＂being built with the refund＂. However, Wusa Road was in fact proposed to be built at the beginning of the Wusa Movement in 1925. The Joint Association of Soochow All Circles, probably influenced by the proposition of the General Association of Shanghai Commercial Circles, decided to recruit the Shanghai workers who were on strike at the moment to come to Suzhou and build a vehicular access outside the city, which was then named as Wusa Road for commemoration. The plan of giving the workers employment for outright grant, however, had not been real- ized, so that the road was finally changed to be built from Yanqiao Bridge to Pingqiao Bridge inside the city, and the money needed was raised from all circles of life in Soochow themselves, with Soochow General Chamber of Com- merce undertaking half of the cost. The donation had then been posted to Shanghai to assist the workers on strike, and Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce did not return the money later, which makes the viewpoint of ＂being built with refund＂ can not hold water. The process of building Wusa Road manifests the patriotism, aggressive spir- it and initiative spirit of Soochow City in modern times.