Developing China's “international” railway: The Canton–Hankow line, 1898–1937

Abstract

Using contemporary journalism and archival material, this article is concerned with the construction of the Canton–Hankow (Hankou) Railway, a strategically important route and a product of international competition and influence. It argues that the line's construction between 1898 and 1937 witnessed a transition from speculative to bilateral investment, the latter comprising Britain's share of the Boxer Indemnity fund. It details China's keenness for the fund to be directed towards completing the railway and proposes that the opportunity to reduce the overcapacity of British manufacturing industries in a depressed market through exports has parallels in contemporary China's international railway construction projects.