Clang-clang: Dalian's Unique Urban Cultural Symbol – The Tram
China is so vast, I want to see it all. Take you to a place you may or may not have been.
Clang-clang, Dalian's unique urban cultural symbol – the tram.
This is not an old city photograph from the 1930s; it's the tram still running in Dalian, Liaoning.
With the end of the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China in 1901, the first tram line in mainland China officially opened in Tianjin in 1906. In 1908, Shanghai's trams began running from Jing'an Temple in the British concession to the Bund. In 1909, the Electrical Operations Office of the (Japanese) South Manchuria Railway Company opened the first experimental tram line in Dalian, making it the third mainland city with public buses. Since then, Dalian has had public transportation, operating continuously for 111 years (as of 2020).
In 1899, when the Russians forcibly opened and built the city of Dalian, it was still a small fishing village on the mudflats. In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War broke out on Chinese soil; Japan won, drove out the Russians, and ruled Dalian for 40 years. Japan first built the tram system in Dalian. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Dalian already had 11 tram lines. The history of Dalian's tram is almost as long as the city's history itself. History is like this: it brought us both shame and development.
Old trams are noisy, poor in performance, high in power consumption, and pale in comparison to cars in terms of speed, comfort, and flexibility. From the 1930s to the mid-1950s, trams gradually declined and disappeared from the stage of history, but Dalian kept them. Mainly because they are cheap and convenient for the public. Moreover, the old trams have undergone continuous upgrades and renovations, and now they have become Dalian's calling card. You don't necessarily need to go anywhere; just ride the tram for the experience. That's what I thought.
Dalian currently retains two tram lines: 201 and 202. Line 202 was built during the Japanese puppet regime period. The Type 3000 trams running on Line 201 were all manufactured by Japanese railway vehicle manufacturers between 1935 and 1938. They are representative of the first generation of trams in the world and are among the oldest trams still in service today. However, these old trams have also been renovated.
Metal shell, wooden interior – wooden benches line both sides of the carriage, hard and firm. Brass lamps and handles polished to a shine – inside the carriage, you can enjoy the joy of time travel.
Modern trams developed and produced in the 21st century.
In 1948, Dalian trained its first female tram drivers. Since then, Dalian has had female tram drivers, and from that time on, the tram drivers in Dalian have mainly been women.
In addition to trams, Dalian also retains many trolleybuses. Trolleybuses, dragging long poles, were once a common mode of public transport in major cities, but now they are hard to see elsewhere.
As an old industrial base and one of the eldest sons of the Republic, Dalian has left behind many industrial heritages. These large iron objects still carry the warmth of the past. A city should retain memories that lead to the past.
Dalian Museum Square
