China Chang-Chun Railway (中国长春铁路 Pin yin: Zhong guo chang chun tie lu), commonly abbreviated
by Chinese academics as Zhong Chang Railway (中长铁路 Pin yin: Zhong chang tie lu), is also known
as Trans-Manchurian line. As one route of the Trans-Siberian Railway network it provided a shortcut for the world's longest railway that connecting Moscow with
Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan.[i]
China Chang-Chun Railway was first been called
as Chinese Eastern Railway [ii](CER)
when it constructed. This is a T shape line, the east to west line starts
from Manchurian and ends at Suifenhe. South line starts from the center of the
CER, Harbin, leading southwards along the Liaodong Peninsula to the ice-free
water port at Lüshun.
International relation
The South branch of CER or South Manchuria
Railway and Lüshun in Liaodong Penisula became essential to the
international relations[iii], which concerns three
regional powers, China, Russia and Japan.
In 1896 imperial Russia made the request of construction
of CER to Qing dynasty. After CER completed for construction, the increasing power of Imperial
Russia in Liaodong Penisula, and profits of CER finally drew an attention of
Imperial Japan and concerns[iv]
of Japan's northern board safety, which ultimately led to a costly Russo-Japanese
War during 1904 and 1905. This war and subsequent Treaty of Portsmouth
projected dynamic effects to Pacific power for the next centuries on three
aspects. First, the financial burden of the war brought strong protests in
Russia and Japan. For Imperial Russia, the lost of war and Far East interest
incensed 1905 Revolution[v], which resulted the establishment of limited constitutional monarchy and the State Duma of the
Russian Empire. For Imperial Japan, people were furious against government's
tax increase for budget deficit after the war, which could prevented if
government would have made Russian pay for the war in Portsmouth Treaty.[vi] After Hibiya
Incendiary Incident, the military factions in Japan gained more advantages from protests in political fights. Ultimately, military faction was free from state budget restraints and
only be responsible for the Emperor, which gave them freedom to
execute territory expansionism. Second, the Treaty of Portsmouth[vii] that initiated
under the direction of President Theodore Roosevelt gave United States a
great chance to involve Far East diplomacy. For example Prior to the Portsmouth Treaty, America allowed
Japan's control over Korea on the conditions of US's dominance
in Philistine[viii]
in Taft–Katsura Agreement. Third, the distribution of the
Liaodong Peninula interest by West Powers deepen
the disputes among Russia, Japan and China ever since the war. In particular,
the administration and ownership of South Manchuria Railway became an
obstacle between Sino-Soviet relations. The process of transfer of the
railway interest[ix]
in post World War II caused many unpleasant discussions between the two
regional powers and later developed into a larger irreconcilable disputes that
resulted Sino-Soviet Split. Moreover, the Treaty was not satisfy Japan's expectation of fully control over entire Sakhalin. The Sakhalin issue
became a ghost that challenged regional politics and international relations
even today.
[i] Trans-Siberian Railway, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Railway
[ii] The name of this railway had been changed multiple times during its
history. These names can best reflect the power that really controlled it. It
was first been called as the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER东清铁路, Pin yin Dong qing Railway.) the
Chinese literature means Eastern Qing Railway, which suggested railway under de
factor ownership of Qing dynasty. Later in 1905, South Manchuria Railway Zone of
CER were transferred to Japan by the Treaty of Portsmouth. Then it had been
known as South Manchuria Railway (南满铁路, Pin yin
Nan man tie lu), which suggested the ownership by
Manchuria government, a puppy state set up by Japan.
Chinese Eastern Railway, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Eastern_Railway
[iii] Liaodong Peninsula see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaodong_Peninsula
[iv] After the first Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, imperil Russia
gained the right to build CER as well as rights to occupied Northern Manchuria
by large groups of army.
[vi] Hibiya Incendiary Incident, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiya_Incendiary_Incident
[vii] The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese
War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations at the Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, in the United States. In accordance with the
treaty, both Japan and Russia agreed to evacuate Manchuria and return its
sovereignty to China, but Japan leased the Liaodong Peninsula (containing Port
Arthur and Talien), and the Russian rail system in southern Manchuria with
access to strategic resources. Japan also received the southern half of the
Island of Sakhalin from Russia. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Portsmouth
[ix] The rights of the railway had been transferred multiple times,
which makes the problem more complex. During the 1917-1924 (Russian Civil War)
the Russian part of the CER came under the administration of the White
Army.After 1924, the USSR and China administered the Northern CER jointly,
while Japan maintained control of the southern spur line.The Sino-Soviet
conflict of 1929 was fought over the administration of the Northern CER. From
August 1945, the CER again came under the joint control of the USSR and China.
Somewhat reversing Russia's stinging losses in 1904-1905, after World War II
the Soviet government insisted on occupying the Liaodong Peninsula but allowed
joint control over the Southern branch with China; all this together received
the name of the "Chinese Changchun Railway" see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Eastern_Railway
