The Xinning Railway runs from Doosan, Guangdong Province to Beijie, and is 104 kilometers long. The line was constructed in three sections, starting in June 1906 and completed in 1913, with 36 stations. Another branch line from Xinning to Baisha will be built, with a length of 29 kilometers. This railway was built by Chen Yixi, an overseas Chinese from Xinning County who raised funds. He served as general manager and chief engineer of Xinning Railway Company. The road was demolished in 1939.
Chen Yixi (1845~1929) was a patriotic overseas Chinese, the founder, main investor and fundraiser of Xinning Railway, prime minister and engineer. The name of Ru is wealth, virtue, and the courtesy name is Changting. A native of Langmei Village, Doosan, Taishan City. The boy's family was poor, so at the age of 14 he started selling tea, wicks, hair ropes and other groceries as a burden in the streets. In October 1860, he went to the United States to work as a laborer. He worked as a gold miner and laundryman on the West Coast of the United States, and later as a handyman for an American railway engineer. He used his spare time to learn railway engineering technology from engineers and went to a missionary school to learn English. At that time, the United States was building the Pacific Railway, and the engineer recommended Chen Yixi to the road construction company. Because of his hard work and mastery of railway construction knowledge and skills, he was quickly promoted from worker to foreman, and two years later, he was promoted to engineer's assistant. He started working on the railway in 1865, which lasted for 40 years, laying the foundation for later returning to his hometown to build the Xinning Railway. In 1873, Chen Yixi came to Seattle and co-founded the "Huachang Hao" store to do business, and also acted as a labor broker. In 1888, he co-operated the "Guangde No.", started the business of recruiting railway laborers, and participated in the construction of Seattle's commercial district and the erection of cable cars, making new progress in his career. Chen Yixi is charitable and courageous, committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese, and has won the support of overseas Chinese. In the 30th year of Guangxu's reign (1904), he returned to his hometown and advocated the construction of the Xinning Railway with the call of "no foreign shares, no borrowing of foreign money, and no hiring of foreign workers". He received support from the county people and overseas Chinese, who invested one after another, and successively* ** Raised 3.6586 million silver yuan in stock capital and established Xinning Railway Company in 1906. Chen Yixi was promoted as prime minister and engineer. After 14 years of construction, the Xinning Railway was completed in 1920, with a main line from Doosan to Jiangmen North Street and a branch line from Taicheng to Baisha. The trunk line is 104.4 kilometers long and was opened to traffic in 1913; the branch line is 28.6 kilometers long and was opened to traffic in 1920. Later, a blueprint for developing Tonggu Commercial Port was drafted, but failed. Chen Yixi died at the age of 85. The board of directors of Xinning Railway specially cast a bronze statue of him at the Taicheng terminal to commemorate his achievements.
Lingnan Chronicle: Chen Yixi and Xinning Railway
Recently, our country has once again accelerated the speed of trains, carefully demonstrated and implemented the 200 kilometers per hour speed, and the railways have kept pace with highways and air routes. As people enjoy the wonder of rapid progress, do they think of the "pioneering" efforts of their predecessors? At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a "Chinese railway" was to be built in Taishan, Guangdong. After all the effort, Cixi wrote "According to the proposal, I approve of this"——
That was a century ago in 1906.
In the late Qing Dynasty, Wuyi in Jiangmen, Guangdong began to build a Xinning Railway, which runs through the north and south of Xinning (the old name of "Taishan") and connects Jiangmen and Xinhui, with a total length of 133 kilometers. There are 46 stations, 236 culverts and 215 bridges on the way. Such huge steel lengths shuttle back and forth on the ancient countryside, playing an important role in the prosperous economy.
It is worth mentioning that China’s first private overseas Chinese-owned railway was the Chaoshan Railway built from 1904 to 1906 by the overseas Chinese brothers Zhang Rongxuan and Zhang Yaoxuan with an investment of 3 million yuan. It was built by a Japanese company; Although Zhan Tianyou was the chief engineer of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway that started construction at the same time, it also hired foreign engineers. The Xinning Railway organized by Mr. Chen Yixi, an overseas Chinese living in the United States in Taishan, declared that "with Chinese capital, we will build a Chinese railway; with Chinese academic ability, we will build a Chinese project; with Chinese strength, we will create a milestone in Chinese history." A wonder." It was a great surprise to the men and women with long braids and big cardigans at that time. However, just over thirty years after it was built, the railway disappeared from the earth like a phantom amid a series of explosions. A later resident said: “The Xinning Railway passes through my hometown, a market town in Taishan.
I have known that trains ran there since I was a child, and I have always looked forward to the (re)opening of trains with curiosity. Sometimes I even walked to the abandoned roadbed and looked at it eagerly...
Looking? So let’s take a look at Chen Yixi, the founder of this railway——
1
Chen Yixi was born in Liutong Village, Xinning County in the Qing Dynasty. According to the genealogy, The birth date is November 16, the 25th year of Daoguang (i.e. December 14, 1845). This six villages have produced many famous people, such as Chen Yufu, the first scholar in Guangdong during the Kangxi period, and Chen Sihuo, the Jinshi in Jiaqing. Chen Zhuoping, the director and supervisor of Century Aiqun Building, Chen Zhuolin, the founder of China's civil aviation, etc. When Chen Yixi was fourteen years old, the picker's load was kicked over by a naughty boy. He did not argue, silently picked up the scattered goods and prepared to go home. Chen Yidao, an overseas Chinese who was visiting relatives, saw that "children can be taught." In 1860, when he was less than 16 years old, he took a boat across the ocean with Mr. Chen Yidao.
He was a little lucky, and he did not work as a coolie in the United States. , while working as a domestic servant in a railway engineer's house, his carefulness and sense of responsibility impressed the foreign family. His wife taught him English, and his master sent him to railway night school. In 1865, Chen Yixi, who was in his early twenties, had already participated in the construction of the Central Pacific Railway in the United States. He was promoted from a handyman to a foreman and an assistant engineer. With some savings, he joined his uncle Chen Chengxue's railroad affiliated company in Seattle and became a partner. He worked hard in the railroad circle for 20 years. By 1888, he was already in Seattle. He opened a three-story Guangde company, specializing in recruiting labor for the railways. During the nine anti-Chinese incidents in Seattle, he did not forget to defend the Chinese. After asking an American lawyer to sue, the overseas Chinese finally received US$270,000 in compensation, with full compensation. To the victim. People don’t know that he originally paid nearly 10,000 yuan in legal fees.
The backwardness of his hometown has always been a problem, and Chen Yixi originally planned to return to Taishan to engage in the textile industry for more than 400 years. , traffic congestion is an important reason for backwardness. The waterway relies on sailing boats, and the land road relies on handcarts and sedan chairs. Since Guangxu, overseas Chinese have continued to inject funds to improve transportation. In February 1904, 62-year-old Chen Yixi finally returned to his hometown after many years of absence. This happened. Road protection movement. In view of the fact that imperialism continues to obtain the right to build roads in my country (only when the roads are repaired can they get a lot of money and goods from China to "let the Chinese pay off their debts"), the United States began to promise to repair the Guangdong-Hankong Road in five years, but only built 50 kilometers of Guangdong-Hankong Road. There was no money for the third (water) line, so they sold 2/3 of the stock to Belgium, which aroused strong protests from the people of Guangdong and Hunan, demanding that the Qing government take back the right to build the Guangdong-Hankou Railway from the United States. The movement spread to most provinces across the country. Chen Yixi was determined to stop working on textiles and build railways in his hometown. The villagers were stunned. Guangzhou had just had that short railway. I heard that there was also one in Chaoshan. Could it be done by one of our counties? Chen Yixi seemed to be full of words, and slowly explained the vista of the two tracks to the villagers. In the haze, everyone seemed to hear the whistling of the whistle, and the vista gradually became closer and clearer. Only four months after returning to his hometown, Chen Yixi invited fellow villagers to set up the Xinning Railway Preparatory Office and drafted a series of documents, emphasizing that "no foreign shares will be accepted, no foreign money will be borrowed, and the project will be handled by the people of the county." He made a calculation—— We went to the United States, Canada and even Hong Kong to raise funds, and the railway in the county only cost 500,000 to 600,000 yuan. Starting in 1905, the gray-haired Chen Yixi started raising funds with a simple slogan: "Use Chinese capital to build a Chinese railway." Countless overseas Chinese were moved by this and donated their hard-earned money accumulated over many years for their hometown, that distant, hazy and beautiful hometown. For many years in the United States and Canada, I have seen people build railways and become prosperous and prosperous year after year, but my hometown is like a dying old cow that cannot pull its legs apart. The overseas Chinese donated one after another with grief and enthusiasm, and the donation reached 2,758,412 yuan, exceeding Four times the original plan.
2
Officials are starting to make plans. In March 1905, Chen Yi, the governor of Xinning County (equivalent to the magistrate of Taishan County), submitted a letter to Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, requesting that the Xinning Railway be designated as a "county official initiative" in an attempt to seize railway management rights. However, due to lack of financial strength and the simple charter, it could not succeed.
Four months later, Guangdong businessman Yu Qianyao drafted the regulations for 22 Ningyang railways and submitted them to the authorities for filing (Ningyang is also Taishan - Editor). Of course Chen Yixi knew that this was also to seize power, and it was a matter of "national conditions", so good Well, he simply spent money to "donate" an official title to himself - a third-grade salt transport envoy, so he became a "official man" building the railway. For this reason, he was troubled, "As a person who has returned from overseas, his reputation is not enough to impress people, and he cannot deal with the right things. He is bootstrapped, imitating officials but not working; he bends his knees and bends his waist, and his steps tend to break more and more." It is true that "if you want to scold, you will Silent, if you want to cry, there will be no tears” (Chen Yixi’s words).
In November 1905, the shareholders of Xinning Railway appointed Chen Yixi as the general manager and chief engineer of Ningyang Railway Company. The articles of association stated that "no foreign shares will be accepted, no foreign money will be borrowed, and no foreigners will be hired to avoid encroachment on the company's rights." Overflow. "Chen Yixi knows that many overseas Chinese are also engaged in railway work and can be invited back. Whichever village the railway track passes through, the villagers from that village will be responsible for the civil construction projects and receive wages. If the villagers are unwilling, the company will hire people and the village will not raise any objection.
When the plan was submitted for review, Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, also proposed that "roads must be built without hindering the tombs of Tianyuanlu". Some people even brought out the "diploma theory" that is still popular to this day and proposed that "the road should be built by foreign nationals." Graduation diplomas are properly processed.” The hard-working people may not have diplomas. Chen Yixi showed that he had "undertaken railways in Jinshan for forty years and had a road construction certificate." Liang Cheng, an official of the Qing government in the United States, also confirmed Chen Yixi's qualifications. Cixi, the Empress Dowager It was January 22, 1906 that the highest directive of "According to the agreement, I accept this" was issued. By May 1, construction on the railway finally started. "The trees in the mountains in Yuanwang Lane are thick, and the ancient roads are rushing up; wild apes are thirsty to drink the water of three immortals, and magpies and cranes roost in Dutou pines. The shepherd boy in Mai Lane plays the jade flute, and the monks in Jinxi Temple bang the copper bell; at night, they bring wine and drink, Drunk until the sky is bright and the moon is high." Chen Yixi wrote this poem during the initial survey of the Public Welfare (Place Name - Editor) section. Among them, Sanxian, Dutou, Maixiang, Shuikou, etc. are the place names of this section of the road, indicating the beauty and primitiveness of the natural scenery.
The start of construction hides the struggle between advanced productive forces and ignorant feudal forces. Lots had to be allocated for civil construction projects, so a wealthy family surnamed Zhen in Xinchang (now Kaiping), which was the starting point, proposed that "the front of the track would hinder the water conservancy and the tomb" and the route should be changed. As soon as this kind of precedent was established, "everywhere we passed through the capital, large towns, huge villages, and even small villages, with all surnames and ethnic groups, there were few who did not rely on the power of the dragon and the tiger to dominate, and strictly enforced the limits of this and other boundaries." "Some resisted due to superstitious feng shui, or resisted relying on power... As the project progressed, turmoil arose one after another." There were more than 200 riots, and 29 detours were forced to be modified. It cannot be said that the villagers are ignorant, as they have never seen a huge iron dragon flying on two narrow tracks. Chen Yixi went to the common people to explain the functions and advantages of the railway, and also made some concessions in the design. In view of the fact that there were still ignorant villagers who accused the road construction of "damaging Feng Shui" and poured excrement on the construction workers, beating and scolding them, he decided to go to Beijing to find a solution to the problem with the court. He first took a boat from Hong Kong to Shanghai and checked into a high-end hotel. While chatting with the waiter, he learned that a prince from the imperial court was also staying in the hotel. He was overjoyed and immediately asked to be introduced. After the Reform Movement, the Qing nobles expressed their deep appreciation for road construction and mining, so the prince gave him the Shang Shang Sword. If he disobeyed, he would be beheaded first and then punished. Chen Yixi returned to her hometown happily, and the group no longer dared to talk nonsense.
The railway finally extended forward. The first 59 kilometers from Gongwei to Doosan was opened to traffic in 1908, and the second section of 50 kilometers from Gongwei to Jiangmen was opened to traffic in 1913. On March 20, 1920, Taicheng to Baisha is completed, 28 kilometers long, and the total length of the three sections is 133 kilometers. Each station had separate waiting rooms for men and women. It was still the Qing Dynasty, and men and women were not allowed to be intimate. On the day it opened to traffic, the archway was towering, colorful flags were flying, and tens of thousands of people were watching. Many congratulatory couplets were hung at the stations below, such as "Step on the stage of the 20th century to perform the spirit of our nation's evolution. This railway is a success. Chixian County held a lecture for tens of millions of people to hold today's industry." Competitiveism awakens the yellow soul by preaching for all sentient beings." At Xiaping Station, there is also: "Xiatu public opinion harmonizes with Pingshan Road to achieve success." Using the crane top pattern, the first two characters have the local place name. People are happy to welcome the era of scientific prosperity.
Two new technologies were developed during this process. One was Doosan’s train turntable, which allowed the front of the car to drive up and turn 180 degrees to change direction, saving the front of the car the space it occupied; the other was a train crossing the river. It was difficult to build a bridge at that time to allow the train to take a boat. Today It is still in use, but the one in Taishan is 90 years older than the one in Qiongzhou that crossed the sea by train and boat. Mr. Ba Jin vividly described the scene of the train crossing the river in "The Poetry of Machines" and said: "This is the most beautiful section of the Xinning Railway." Xinning Railway also drives the development of various aspects along the line. For example, Huang Yutang opened a carriage company at that time. Each carriage had two horses and could carry 6 people or 12 loads of cargo. The charge was 60 cents per carriage. After the opening of the Xinning Railway, horse-drawn carriages plummeted and eventually closed down. In 1909, Chen Yixi was hired by the Qing government as a fourth-class consultant, with the honorific title of senior political officer. His official rank was promoted from the third rank to the second rank. Zhan Tianyou was the fourth rank. Chen Yixi achieved the highest political and social status in the railway industry at that time.
At that time, due to the poor security, there were some problems from time to time. In July 1916, when the Xinning train arrived at Fenshuijiang Station, 300 bandits swarmed onto the train and robbed it. The front of the car killed two firemen on the spot, and the driver and the policeman escorting the car were also injured. When leaving, they arrested the ticket collector and more than a hundred male and female passengers. Even Deng Benxiong, the younger brother of Deng Benyin (a native of Hunan and former military envoy to Qiongya, Guangdong), was also taken captive. By the time the governor (the highest administrative person in charge, equivalent to the mayor) sent a large team of rescuers, the thieves had already escaped from Nanyuan in two sailboats. On the same day, the train returned to Taicheng from Jiangmen and arrived at Fenshui River Station. More than a hundred gangsters took a small boat and two large boats that transport cars to set up an ambush near the river. Seeing the train approaching, he fired at the front of the car, injuring not only the driver but also the two furnace workers. The thieves searched and robbed the second-class train, and later took 160 people captive. Three local dignitaries in the first-class cabin were also taken prisoner. In short, if this kind of thing spreads, it will affect the operation of Xinning Railway to some extent.
In 1923, Sun Yat-sen announced the confiscation of the Xinning Railway on the grounds that it "could not be used for military pay". After many arguments from overseas Chinese, he withdrew the order and allowed Taishan to implement local autonomy. Later, he also met with Chen Yixi and appointed him as the preparator The committee members of Tonggu (place name - editor) commercial port wanted to build it into the first commercial port in the south. It was not until 1926, after Sun Yat-sen's death, that disputes arose among railway shareholders, and someone approached the government and took over all of Chen Yixi's powers. Chen Yixi said: "Whenever someone illegally destroys our business on Ning Road, Yixi will fight to the death as long as he lives." After Chen Yixi was "demoted" to his hometown, he still thought about repairing the railway in the future. To Yangjiang, it will be connected to the Yuehan Road in the future. However, due to mental and physical exhaustion and mental disorder, he finally died at home on June 25, 1929 (some say 1930) at the age of 84. On the day of the funeral, thousands of people paid tribute, and there was an elegiac couplet that said: "The regret is deep, the Tonggu shopping mall is still not built; the great man has passed away, who will be able to complete the road to Yangjiang?"
In 1929, the railway was returned to private ownership, and the finance department It improved for a while, and by 1932 it was making annual profits of 200,000-400,000 yuan. However, due to the sluggish world economy, reduced remittances and depression in the rural economy, the railway soon suffered losses again. After 1935, many investors did not receive dividends. After the Japanese invaders entered the Pearl River Delta, the railway was heavily bombed by Japanese planes dozens of times. Every time, the entire population is mobilized, and it takes up to two days to fill up the roadbed, lay the sleepers, and allow traffic to resume. On December 12, 1938, he received the first telegram from Xu Jingtang, the head of the Jiangmen office of the Fourth Army of the Kuomintang, to destroy the railway before the end of the year, so he began to demolish the Dajiang Bridge and Chongyu Bridge; in 1939, Jiangmen fell, and the locals second The railways were destroyed again, and people along the way were picked to dismantle the rails and hide them in various townships. Later, 23,782 rails were transported to Guangxi to build the Guizhou-Guangxi Railway, and the sleepers were divided as wages. In 1940, another order was issued to completely destroy the roadbed within five days. As a result, the railway was completely destroyed.
As time goes by, China has entered the era of reform and opening up.
On September 26, 1984, a 1.80-meter-tall bronze statue of Chen Yixi wearing a robe and mandarin jacket was completed in the center of the flower bed in Taicheng. There was a granite pavilion above the bronze statue to protect him. . At that time, the board of directors of Xinning Railway wanted to build a bronze statue for Chen Yixi. Chen Yixi said humorously: No, I am afraid of the sun and rain.
That sentence has been passed down to this day, and the attentive villagers specially built a "shed" so that the elderly can watch the earth-shaking changes in their hometown year by year in peace.