Historical evolution of Kobe

The history of Kobe can be traced back to the Paleolithic Age, and cultural relics of the Paleolithic Age and the Rope Age have been found in many places in Kobe City. After entering the Yayoi era, with the introduction of rice farming technology and metalworking, the population of Kobe has further increased. According to Japanese books, Morita Shrine and Nagata Shrine among the three major shrines in Kobe were built in the late Yayoi period. After the ancient grave era, with the rise of the Haozu, huge round graves began to appear all over Japan. The most famous tomb in Kobe is Wuse Tomb, which is also the largest tomb in Hyogo Prefecture. It also shows that Kobe developed a certain degree of civilization during this period. In the Nara era, the then imperial court built Owada Park in Hyogo Prefecture, which began the history of Kobe as a port. Owada berth is one of the five berths for filming and broadcasting, and it was an important trade stronghold of Japan at that time. However, in the later period of Heian period, because the national finance was unable to rebuild the port, the Xiaotian berth was abandoned.

Great changes have taken place in the Wada depression after the rise of the Ping regime. Ping Qingsheng built an artificial island in Xiaotian Park, trying to develop Xiaotian Park into a stronghold of Japanese-Song trade. 1 180 (the first year of his succession to the emperor), Ping Qingsheng even forcibly announced that he would move his capital to Fuyuan Beijing, located in downtown Kobe and north of Hyogo. However, due to strong opposition, only half a year later, Fukuhara Ai moved its capital back to peace. The Ping regime also collapsed rapidly after the death of Ping Qingsheng, and Kobe was the battlefield of the Valley War, an important battle in the process of the collapse of the Ping regime. Although the construction of Fuyuan Beijing can be said to be only at the planning level, in the early days of Kamakura, monks revived Oda Port. During the Kamakura shogunate era, most of Kobe's population lived in Hyogo, which was called Hyogo Prefecture and was an important port in Japan at that time. Kobe was the stage of Kawasaki War in the period from the New Takeshi to the Muromachi shogunate in the early 4th century. During the same period, from Cargill Rebellion to Renying Rebellion, Kobe was ruled by Yamamoto for more than 20 years, and Kobe entered the rule of Akamatsu for about 200 years. 159 1 year (the first year of Chengping), Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who ended the troubled times of the Warring States and realized the great cause of Japanese reunification, held a tea party in Ma You Hot Springs on the outskirts of Kobe. During the Edo period, the main city of Kobe was still in Hyogo-Tianjin area. At that time, Hyogo Prefecture was an important stronghold port of North Island from West Japan to Hokkaido, and it was also an important speed-growing town in Xizi Street.

From Kaikou to Kobe during World War II

At the end of the edo shogunate, Japan was forced to open its doors under the pressure of Europe and America. 1858, the shogunate signed a five-nation security treaty with the United States, Britain, France, Russia and the Netherlands, stipulating that five ports should be opened as trading ports. Although the powers originally wanted to choose Hyogo Prefecture with a certain scale as an open port in Kansai region, Kobe Village became one of the five open ports because of its strong anti-foreign atmosphere and the deep water along the coast of Kobe Village near Hyogo Prefecture. 1868 (the first year of Meiji), Kobe officially opened. At that time, the port of Kobe was bounded by Cuochuan, and the port area west of Cuochuan was mainly used by Japanese ships, which was called Hyogo Port. The west is mainly used by foreign ships and is called Kobe Port. The two ports were unified in 1892 (the 25th year of Meiji) and were collectively called Kobe Port. The urban area is also bounded by Lichuan. Hyogo, west of Lichuan, is the old city, while Kobe, east of Lichuan, is inhabited by more foreigners, making Kobe a twin city.

With the gradual expansion of the urban area, the two major urban areas have been merged into one, and the city center has gradually moved eastward to Kobe, and "Kobe" has also become the official name of cities including Hyogo. When Kobe opened its port in Kobe, it also opened a residence for foreigners in Kobe. Kobe residence is one of the earliest areas in Japan to implement modern urban planning. Its operation is entirely independent of foreigners, and its urban management mode has also brought great influence to other cities in Japan. Many foreign churches, banks, enterprises and consulates were concentrated here, and Kobe Mansion became one of the most international areas in Japan at that time. 1899 (Meiji 32), with the abolition of Japanese extraterritorial jurisdiction, the residence system was abolished, and Kobe's foreign residence was re-managed by Japan, but Kobe's status as a central city remained to this day. As the window of Japanese western civilization, Kobe has played an important role in the cultural exchange between the East and the West. Japan's first railway tunnel, the first coffee shop, the first bottle of soda, the first aquarium, the first golf course, the first Japanese-made steam locomotive, the first jazz band and many other new things have appeared in Kobe. From 65438 to 0889, Kobe became the earliest city in Japan.

After entering the 20th century, Kobe continued to develop rapidly. 1905 (Meiji 38), Hanshin Electric Railway opened a railway from Kobe (Mimiya Station) to Osaka (Hashimoto Station), which was the first intercity railway in Japan. With the opening of the railway, the economic activities between Kobe and Osaka became more active, thus opening a modern era between Hanshin and Kobe. Also in the early 20th century, with the development of port construction, Kobe grew into one of the most important ports in the Far East. 1920 (the ninth year of Taisho), Kobe Port opened a route to the United States. In the early days of Taisho and Showa, Kobe was listed as the world's four largest shipping markets along with London, new york and Hamburg. However, after 1930 (the fifth year of Showa), the development of Kobe was greatly affected as Japan began to enter the track of war. 1938 (Showa 13), Kobe was attacked by Hanshin flood, and more than 600 people were killed in the flood. At the end of World War II, Kobe was repeatedly attacked by the US military, especially 1945 (Showa 20th year) 17 in March and 5 June. More than 20% of the downtown area of Kobe City was destroyed by air strikes, with at least 884 1 citizen killed and more than 1 1,500 injured. Kobe was the most severely damaged city in Japan by American air strikes at that time.

Kobe after the war

After World War II, Kobe quickly embarked on the process of revival. Shipbuilding, steel and other heavy industries have become Kobe's new pillar industries, making Kobe an important industrial city in post-war Japan. From 65438 to 0956, Kobe became the first city designated by law in Japan. Kobe also held a national sports conference this year. 1960s, Kobe Port ushered in the opening anniversary of100th. With the completion of Kobe Port Tower, a landmark building in Kobe, and the construction of artificial islands in the port, the face of Kobe Port has undergone earth-shaking changes. Since the downtown area of Kobe is small, since the 1960s, Kobe began to dig mountains to build a new city, and the excavated soil was used for reclamation and construction of a new city at sea. 1970s, with the opening of Yangshan new trunk line, the holding of Kobe Festival and the broadcast of NHK TV series, Kobe's tourism industry has developed greatly. 197 1 year, the commercial power of Kobe was abolished, and instead, 1979, the first subway line in Kobe began to open to traffic, which marked a great change in Kobe's traffic. 198 1, the first phase of harbor artificial island project was completed. After the completion of the project, Kobe City held the Harbor Artificial Island Expo, with more than 1665438+ 10,000 visitors and a profit of over 6 billion yen, which was a great success. From 65438 to 0985, Kobe hosted the World Universiade, and the holding of large-scale sports events further enhanced Kobe's popularity in the world.

199565438+1October 17, the Hanshin Awaji earthquake occurred in the offshore of Kobe city. The intensity in some areas of Kobe City reached 7, and the death toll in the city was as high as 457 1. The disaster is extremely serious. Although the earthquake hit Kobe hard, it also meant the beginning of a new revival in Kobe. The preparation of transportation network is an important part of Kobe's post-earthquake revival. The opening of Akashi Strait Bridge has greatly improved the traffic between Kobe City and Awaji Island. The opening of Kobe Airport has made Kobe a city with air, sea and Shuang Gang. However, Kobe's post-earthquake revival also faces many problems. Although urban renewal has been carried out in the blocks severely damaged by the earthquake, such as Yongtian, the development has stagnated due to the decrease of population. After entering the 2 1 century, Kobe was selected as a design city by UNESCO in 2008, making it the first city in Asia to receive this honor. The medical industry has now developed into a new important industry in Kobe. Kobe is striving to develop new pillar industries other than traditional ports and industries, which makes Kobe's economic structure tend to be diversified.

Kobe is a beautiful international trade port city. Because of the influence of western culture, it is full of the combination of East and West. Viewed from the air, the houses in Kobe, large and small, are densely scattered among the rolling mountains in Liu Jiashan, which looks like a patchwork. Different from the towering residential buildings in China, the houses in this city are very small in spacing, but there are few high-rise buildings, so they look harmonious and exquisite. There are many bustling streets in Kobe, such as Mimiya, Motomachi, Bay Area, Kitano and Nanjing Street, all of which have their own uniqueness.