川汉铁路宜昌工程与四川保路风潮

The Yichang Project of the Sichuan-Hankou Railroad and the Agitation of Railroad Protection in Sichuan

川省川汉铁路未经充分勘测及论证就决定取道湖北宜昌并从该地贸然开工,此一举动对后续川路的路事、路潮产生了深远影响。受工程艰难、省际纠纷、舆论指责等诸多因素的干扰,宜昌路工建设举步维艰、成绩有限,引起了时人的质疑并促成了清廷干路国有政策的出台。1911年清廷收路借债的一应举措推出后,川路驻宜总理李稷勋等宜昌路绅有鉴于宜昌路工的危险动荡情状,提出了维持路工、保全路款的应对方案。而成都保路士绅则认为借款合同丧权卖路并决议“破约保路”,随后提出了提回路款、停止路工的反对方案。双方的矛盾分歧推动了保路风潮的激化,随后酿成了成都罢市,为四川路潮最终走向决裂埋下了伏笔。宜昌路工史事的揭出将有助于补充川路史事的部分缺失,从而深化学界对于四川保路风潮的相关认知。

The affairs of the Sichuan-Hankou railroad are closely related to the Sichuan Railroad Protection Agitation,but so far little attention has been paid to the only project under construction—Yichang Section in Hubei—of the Sichuan-Hankou Railroad Company.This is not conducive to our understanding the railroad policies and railroad agitation in late Qing from the perspective of railroad project and railroad affairs.The construction of the Sichuan-Hankou railroad was deeply influenced by the will of late Qing governors such as Xiliang and Zhang Zhidong,and that the construction project would start from Yichang soon became the“preconception”of many Sichuan officials and gentry.Therefore,Sichuan Railroad Company hastily started construction,and without scientific investigation,sufficient feasibility study,and consistent opinions,it adventurously and blindly started building the arduous and costly Yichang-Wanxian section.Naturally the Yichang Project faced numerous difficulties from the very beginning,and its delay directly led to the transformation of the Qing court s railroad policy.After launching the construction in Yichang in 1909,Sichuan-Hankou Railroad Company soon faced many difficulties,such as difficult routes,construction difficulties,public criticism,and a shortage of stock funds,which caused a dilemma in the construction of the project and its achievements were quite limited.With the occurrence of the sensational“Shanghai Losses Case”in 1910,the“collapse and delay”of Sichuan railroad construction became a certainty,causing both the court and the people to rethink the existing railroad policies,and eventually leading to the introduction of measures such as nationalizing the railroads and borrowing loans for railroad construction by the Qing court.Under the leadership of high-level officials such as Sheng Xuanhuai,these measures were soon adopted to replace the frequently problematic and delayed commercial railroad construction by provinces.After the implementation of the Qing government s policy of nationalizing railroads in 1911,there were significant differences regarding the handling of railroad affairs between the railroad company s gentry in Chengdu and Yichang.Li Jixun and other gentry of the Yichang branch office,given the difficult situation of the Yichang railroad project and the turbulent situation of workers in the construction section,increasingly focused on maintaining the stability of Yichang Project and properly tiding up various assets of the company.Later,they proposed countermeasures to preserve the railroad funds and continue the railroad project.Deng Xiaoke,Luo Lun,and other Chengdu gentry believed that the loan contracts of the four countries meant loss of their rights and their control of railroads.They immediately set up the Sichuan Railroad Protection Association to“break the contract and protect the railroads”.Afterwards,they recklessly proposed opposition countermeasures to withdraw railroad funds and stop the railroad project.These disagreements and disputes led to a deepening prejudice among the Chengdu gentry towards the Yichang gentry,resulting in the emergence of various extreme means such as dismissal,and threat of assassination,turning the Railroad Protection Agitation into radicalization.After the Chengdu Strike caused by the controversy over the appointment and dismissal of Li Jixun,the Railroad Protection Agitation in Sichuan became uncontrollable,ultimately leading to a break with the Qing government.A re-examination of Yichang Railroad Project will help supplement some missing links of Sichuan railroad history,which will help the academic circle to understand Sichuan Railroad Protection Agitation.