The changes in social life in modern times.

1. Progress in transportation and communication tools

(1) Railways and highways: In China, traditional transportation tools vary from region to region. There are many waterways in the south, and boats are the main means of transportation; there are many dry roads in the north, and people mainly ride horse-drawn carriages. When ordinary people go out, they mostly walk. In the 1870s, foreign businessmen built the Songhu Railway from Wusongkou to Shanghai without authorization, but it was soon demolished. In the early 1980s, the Qing government built a railway from Tangshan to Xugezhuang. On the eve of the Revolution of 1911, China had built many railways, laying the basic pattern of China's modern railway network. In the first half of the 20th century, there was basically no railway transportation between China's northwest, southwest and inland areas. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Baocheng-Chengdu Railway and the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway were built successively, which strengthened the communication between the mainland and the southwest and northwest regions. By the end of the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, China's total railway operating mileage has ranked first in Asia and fourth in the world. On the basis of continuous improvement of locomotives and transformation of railway technology, railways across the country have achieved several major speed increases since 1997, greatly improving operating efficiency. At the beginning of the 20th century, cars began to appear in big cities such as Shanghai. During the Republic of China, some roads were built one after another. However, due to political corruption, poor people's livelihood, and almost all dependence on imported cars and oil, the development of road transportation was greatly restricted. After the founding of New China, automobile manufacturing plants were built and road transportation developed rapidly. A relatively dense road network has been established across the country, and many remote and isolated mountainous areas, including the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, are now connected to cars.

(2) Water transportation and aviation: After the Opium War, ships entered China, and Western powers set up shipping companies in China to control China's water transportation. The Westernizationists founded the Steamship Merchants Bureau, which broke the monopoly of the great powers in China. A number of steamship companies have emerged in major ports, promoting the modernization process of China's water transportation industry. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the shipping industry under unified management by the state has developed rapidly. After the 1990s, due to the rapid development of railways, highways and civil aviation, the ship shipping industry began to shrink. In 1909, Feng Ru, an overseas Chinese in the United States, built China's first airplane, marking the beginning of China's aviation industry. In 1920, China's first air route, the Beijing-Tianjin route, was opened, marking the beginning of China's civil aviation. In the early days of the founding of New China, there were various restrictions on flying and the development of civil aviation was limited. After the reform and opening up, these restrictions were gradually relaxed and eventually lifted, and routes and flights continued to increase. Nowadays, major cities across the country, some medium-sized cities, and tourist resorts have air routes, and there are direct air routes to major cities in many countries around the world. China has become a major civil aviation power in the world.

(3) Changes in communication tools: In the 1870s, the Danish telegraph company privately set up telegraph lines to Shanghai and built a telegraph machine room. Subsequently, the governor of Fujian presided over the establishment of China's first wired telegraph line in Taiwan. From then on, the Qing government began to set up wired telegraph lines in various provinces. At the beginning of the 20th century, a radio station was installed in Chongming, Shanghai, and a wireless telegraph bureau was established. Radio stations were successively opened in various places. At that time, wired telegraphy was mainly used for military purposes, while wireless telegraphy was used by officials and businesses. In 1875, the Shanghai Merchants Bureau set up telephone lines and opened the first telephone. In the 1880s, foreign countries began to set up telephone companies in Shanghai. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Qing government opened the first telephone exchange in Nanjing and launched the first local telephone. By 1949, the national telephone penetration rate was only 0.05%. After the founding of New China, a nationwide telecommunications network gradually formed. After the reform and opening up, the telecommunications industry developed rapidly. By the end of 2003, China ranked first in the world in terms of the number of fixed and mobile phones. Telephones went from being a luxury item to a daily necessity. People also send emails via the Internet. The changes in communication tools and the development of telecommunications have made information transmission faster and easier, profoundly changing people's ideas and lifestyles.

2. Newspaper and periodical industry:

In 1833, "Xiyang Kao Monthly Tongji Zhuan" was founded in Guangzhou, which was the first Chinese newspaper founded in China. Shenbao, founded in Shanghai in 1872, is the longest-running and most influential Chinese newspaper in modern China.

Around the mid-19th century, foreigners began to run newspapers in China. The more famous ones include "China Series" and "Global Gazette". Since the 1870s, some newspapers and periodicals run by Chinese people have appeared one after another. Before and after the Reform Movement of 1898, more and more newspapers and periodicals were founded by the Chinese themselves, and most of them reflected social trends of thought. During the New Culture Movement, advanced intellectuals used newspapers and periodicals to vigorously promote democratic and scientific ideas. China's newspaper and magazine industry is booming. In the early 20th century, the Chinese Communist Party successively founded political newspapers such as "The Communist Party of China", "Red China", "Xinhua Daily" and "Liberation Daily", and launched a struggle with the "Central Daily News" controlled by the Kuomintang to seize the revolutionary power. Victory played an important role. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, party newspapers and periodicals such as "People's Daily" and "Red Flag" became the main public opinion tools for promoting the party's line, policies and principles, while other types of newspapers and periodicals such as "Guangming Daily" and "Wenhui Po" were It introduces academic culture and social life, and the content is relatively rich. After the reform and opening up, my country's newspaper and periodical industry has flourished. In addition to party newspapers and periodicals continuing to play a leading propaganda role, various professional and entertainment newspapers and periodicals have been established one after another. Each newspaper and periodical regards authenticity, timeliness, objectivity and emphasis on news value as its own development direction, generally expands the information content and broadens the coverage area.

3. Changes in clothing

Before the Opium War, China’s material and cultural life and social customs mostly followed tradition. From the current emperor to the nobles, they wore long robes and mandarin jackets, ate Manchu and Han food, and lived in deep residences and courtyards; while the common people ate rough cloth and lived in ordinary houses. At that time, all food and clothing were produced in China. After the Opium War, Western culture gradually penetrated into people's lives, and "foreign cloth" and "foreign clothes" gradually entered the lives of people in Chinese cities. After the Revolution of 1911, Sun Yat-sen's Mao suit, which combined Chinese and Western styles, was welcomed by the new-schoolers. By the 1920s and 1930s, Chinese clothing was diverse, including suits, coarse shirts, and cheongsams. Student clothes became a symbol of cultural upbringing among young people, and skirts imitating European styles were also popular in big cities.

After the founding of New China, from the 1950s to the 1970s, diligence, frugality, and selfless dedication became the mainstream of Chinese social fashion. People dress simply. Due to the relative scarcity of supplies, many daily necessities must be supplied through the voucher plan. There is not much difference in the living standards of Chinese people, but they are generally relatively low. After the reform and opening up, the party and the government regarded achieving moderate prosperity as the goal of economic construction. People's clothing colors have changed from mainly gray and blue to colorful, and from single styles to diversification.

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