Changchun the semicolonial period · The Semicolonial period in Changchun
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The Semicolonial period in Changchun
The Semicolonial period in Changchun
After defeating China in the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Japan had desires to expand, including plans to overtake the eastern lands of Fengtian Province (Liaoning Province today) from China. This expansion clashed with the wishes of Russia, France, and Germany; Japan had to settle for money from China instead (about 30 million liang). For their part, Russia got the rights to build a railway in the sought-after lands.
In 1896, Russia built a railway station and a settlement in Changchun.
In 1906, Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War, and gained the right of the railway in southern Northeast China. Changchun became the junction between the Japanese-owned South Manchurian Railway and the Russian-owned Chinese Eastern Railway, which had different rail gauges and permit licenses. There were railway repair shops, and branch lines originating in Changchun extended into Korea and Inner Mongolia. An epidemic of pneumonia occurred in many parts of Manchuria from 1910-11.
On 18 September, 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria. The leader of the area, Zhang Xueliang, commanded his army to retreat without counterattack, and pinned all his hopes on the intercession of the League of Nations.
The city's name was changed on 1 March, 1932, to Xinjing (新京), the capital of Manchukuo, and Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, was its designated overseer. The new tenants gave it a grand blueprint with broad avenues and modern public works. The city underwent rapid expansion in both economy and infrastructure and provided materials for Japan's wars.
The Chinese people were forbidden to learn their own language and culture, as they were now under the control of the Japanese Empire. Life for those living in the newly-controlled areas could be cruel.
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Changchun Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.