MOBILITY IN THE CITY: Dalian's Streetcar System from 1890s to 1940s

The electric streetcar is both a product of electric modernity and a form of social technology that shapes the experience of modernity. Using the city of Dalian in northern China from 1890s to 1940s as the site of investigation, this study seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the formation of modern urban landscapes in terms of the movement and division of people engendered by the streetcar in general, and the system’s role in Japan’s colonial project in East Asia in particular. I seek to provide a detailed analysis of the historical roots of the formation of Dalian as a colonial city vis-à-vis its streetcar system to examine the structuring of urban space. I also explore the streetcar both as an engineering and social technology to shed light on theoretical issues such as the notion of mobility and rhythms of everyday life.M.A