Why was China’s first railway demolished by the Qing government?

In the year when Zhan Tianyou chose the railway, the Qing government ordered the dismantling of China's first operating railway: Wusong Railway.

One day in 1876, Shanghai citizens witnessed a train entering the city. At that time, the citizens were stunned because the Chinese had never seen a train at that time. This railway was built by the British and is China's first railway: Wusong Railway.

However, this railway horrified the Qing court. The authorities used 285,000 yuan on the grounds of "cutting away our mountains and rivers, destroying our fields and houses, hindering our feng shui, and taking away the livelihoods of our merchants and people." Two silver coins were used to redeem the Wusong Railway from the British, but it was later demolished. From this we can know that the Qing government was ideologically backward and corrupt.

Extended information

Background of the first railway construction:

China's railway construction began in the late Qing Dynasty. After more than a century of construction and development, as of 2019 , China’s total railway operating mileage has reached more than 131,000 kilometers, ranking second in the world; of which, high-speed railways are nearly 30,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world. The national railway double-tracking rate and electrification rate have reached 57 and 67 respectively, ranking third in the world. Two and one.

In China, railways are an important national infrastructure, a popular means of transportation, and occupy a backbone position in China's comprehensive transportation system. China has a vast territory, large population, and uneven resource distribution. Therefore, economical and fast railways generally have greater advantages and have become a widely used mode of transportation.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Railway