No one can stop the pace of civilization. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), liddell, an Englishman, established Shanghai Electric Company (also known as Shanghai Electro-Optical Company) by way of share offering, and founded the first power plant in China at No.3 Dasha Road1(now No.90 Nanjing East Road/kloc-0). At the same time, the first arc lamp pole was erected in the corner fence of the power plant, and the 15 lamp was connected in series along the vertical pole line from the Bund to the China Merchants Wharf in Hongkou. At 7: 00 p.m. on June 12 of the same year (1July 26, 882), the power plant began to supply power. At night, the arc lights shine together, dazzling people and attracting hundreds of people to watch. The next day, Chinese and foreign newspapers in Shanghai reported that the lights were flashing.
1886 (the 12th year of Guangxu), Xiyuan and Sanhai, built large-scale buildings and palaces. When the palace was built, electric lights were installed in the Ilan Hall, which was the earliest electric light installed in the Qing Palace. Later, electric lights were installed in the Forbidden City. Cixi was still alive at that time. I guess she forgot what she once said. Otherwise, according to her personality, she would never be allowed to install this "lamp head down" electric light.
Electric lights are also installed in the Summer Palace. Meng Xinshi's Collection of Historical Records of the Ming and Qing Dynasties contains two notes on current affairs in Qin Xiao in Qing Dynasty by Tao Lanquan. Tao Lanquan (Xiang, a famous bibliophile) is an official appointed by Sheng Xuanhuai to handle the installation of electric lights in the Summer Palace and Lu Han Road. Cixi agreed to install electric lights in the Summer Palace because she could have more fun in it. If she doesn't play enough during the day, she will come back at night. At this time, electric lights show extraordinary advantages over things like candles.
To Cixi's surprise, she became a prophet in one sentence. After the "lamp holder" really "fell down", the mountains and rivers of the Qing Dynasty declined more and more, and finally they were helplessly spent in the gunfire of Wuchang Uprising.