Rickshaw was first used in 1869. Key point: (Invented by American missionary Jonathan Scobie in Japan) was first used by individuals on the streets of Yokohama, but it quickly became popular in the local area and became an important means of transportation in big cities in Japan a few years later.
1873, a French businessman named Maynard arrived in Shanghai from Japan, trying to introduce rickshaws into China in order to make a profit, and obtained the consent of the French Concession Public Participation Bureau. Public committees are managed by issuing licenses and collecting taxes.
The company was formally established in Milla on 1874. By the end of this year, ten companies have been established in Shanghai and nearly a thousand rickshaws have been put into operation. Later, it gradually became popular in various regions of Shanghai. By 19 14, there were 9 178 rickshaws in the public concession alone.
Extended data:
At the beginning of the Republic of China, the operation mode of Shanghai rickshaw company was mainly a rickshaw company established in foreign countries, which bought rickshaws, registered with the concession authorities to buy licenses, then leased them to domestic middlemen and subletted them to rickshaw drivers for operation. At the beginning of the 20th century, the competition for registration of Chinese companies appeared gradually.
At that time, due to the progress of technology, the cost of rickshaws was declining. The company bought a rickshaw and rented it for about a month, so it became a profitable industry at that time.
The life of a hard rickshaw puller is generally hard. In the 1930 s, the price of taking a rickshaw was less than 20 cents per mile, which was much cheaper than taking a taxi at that time and the general public could afford it. In addition, compared with cars, rickshaws can enter many narrow alleys, so they become the main means of transportation for citizens.
However, rickshaw pullers spend a lot of labor, but after deducting the rent, their income is very small. It is estimated that in A.D. 1930, about 80,000 people in Shanghai made a living by pulling rickshaws, most of whom were low-class poor people who moved in from other places.
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