Abstract:

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Wenzhou, with its most undeveloped transport, was the furthest prefecture away from Zhejiang s provincial capital Hangzhou. By studying historical materials such as the diaries of the examinees from Wenzhou, who took the imperial examinations in Hangzhou, we find that the route between Wenzhou and Hangzhou was 500-kilometer long and it took nearly two weeks to cross mountains and rivers to arrive in Hangzhou with simple and primitive transport. Since the modern times, the route between Wenzhou and Hangzhou has changed a lot. It took 3 days by ship, 1 day after the highway was built and only 2 hours by plane. The travel expenses, trip safety and transport services were all the obstacles to travelling for people in Wenzhou in the late Qing Dynasty and the Period of the Republic of China. However, with the development of new transport in modern times, local people in Wenzhou began to travel out of isolated Wenzhou and make journeys worldwide.