Steamboats On The Yangtze River
After thousands of years of junk and sampan traffic on the Yangtze River (Jiang), river steamers came with the Europeans. The steam engines brought technological improvement. The age of the steamer lasted nearly 150 years—from 1835 to 1980—and had lasting impacts on the Middle Kingdom of China. River trade in China was essential to the economy in a land with poor roads and few railways. Yet the steam engine and its ability to go upstream came with the extraterritorial rights that went to the Westerners.
Read more about Steamboats On The Yangtze River: First Opium War, US Involvement, Boxer Rebellion, Chinese Ships On The Yangtze, Commercial Involvement, Increased US Presence, Royal Navy Boats On The Yangtze River, Japanese Takeover, The Post War Period, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words yangtze river, steamboats, yangtze and/or river:
“In the Yangtze River waves push the waves ahead; so in life new people constantly replace the old ones.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Hast ever ben in Omaha
Where rolls the dark Missouri down,
Where four strong horses scarce can draw
An empty wagon through the town?
Where sand is blown from every mound
To fill your eyes and ears and throat;
Where all the steamboats are aground,
And all the houses are afloat?...
If not, take heed to what I say,
You’ll find it just as I have found it;
And if it lies upon your way
For God’s sake, reader, go around it!”
—For the State of Nebraska, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“In the Yangtze River waves push the waves ahead; so in life new people constantly replace the old ones.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Naught was familiar but the heavens, from under whose roof the voyageur never passes; but with their countenance, and the acquaintance we had with river and wood, we trusted to fare well under any circumstances.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)