固边治边:近代边疆危机中的铁路功能

Consolidating and Governing the Frontiers:The Functions of Railways in the Frontier Crises of Modern China

边疆研究是考察近代中国由传统天下国家向现代民族国家转变的重要领域,而近代铁路因其与边疆危机的关系紧密正逐步成为边疆研究的重要切入点。19世纪后40年,中国的边疆危机愈演愈烈。清廷按照“由腹达边”的原则修筑了一批国防铁路干线,以期支援边防、拱卫中央,通过军事固边使边疆成为维护内地安全的屏障。进入民国后,随着时局的变化,以及现代边政学的兴起,国人意识到开发治理边疆、促进边疆发展和民族融合是缓解边疆危机、巩固国家统一的长远之计和根本途径,由此开启了新一轮筑路实践。本文试图通过梳理近代国人在应对边疆危机时对铁路的认识变化及实践,厘清铁路在近代边疆危机中的功能演进。

This paper attempts to clarify two issues:First,to explore the changes,from the late Qing Dynasty unto the Republic of China,of the Chinese people's understanding and practice of rail transportation while they dealt with frontier crises,that is,the evolution of the functions of the early modern Chinese railways in the frontier crise.The second,to explore the connection between this evolution and the change in the early modern concepts of border governance,and further understand the early modern frontier politics and thoughts,in order to provide some references for the current railway development and frontier governance.Research has shown that the construction of early modern Chinese railroads mainly focused on its military role in the frontier consolidation during the late Qing Dynasty.And it was influenced by more modern concepts of frontier governance in the period of the Republic of China,which used railway management to further prosper the border regions.During the last 40 years of the 19th century,China's frontier crises became more and more severe.The Western powers intensified their colonial expansion and used rail transit as a tool of aggression to encroach on China's sovereignty.In this situation,some of the early reformist thinkers and Westernization officials realized the important value of railways in military affairs and national defense;as a consequence,they began to change their opposition to rail transportation and regarded self-building railways as an effective means to alleviate the border crises.At the beginning of the 20th century,during the first upsurge of railway construction in modern China,the railway trunk lines for national defense built by the Chinese people brought a great turn for the better in security and stability of the the border areas of China;this not only led to population growth in frontier areas but also the development of the economy and towns alongside the railways.With the increase in semi-colonization in early modern China,Western powers also extended their rail tracks all the way to the peripheral regions of China.They plundered China of vast quantities of resources and wealth by controlling the railways in the border areas.Facing this increasingly critical frontier situation,the Chinese people increasingly realized that the development and construction of border regions,promotion of outer boundary development,and national integration were permanent solutions and fundamental ways to alleviate frontier crises and consolidate national unity.In exceedingly tenuous circumstances,the officials and people in frontier areas,together with the National Government,built several rail connections in or to the border regions from the hinterland,which turned out to play an important role in defeating Japan during the War of Resistance.On the whole,these railways also promoted the development of industry and agriculture in the frontier areas and were of great benefit to maintaining security and stability in the outer boundaries and enhancing their defense capabilities.