A Brief History of Transportation in China

This book follows the thread of transportation development along a continuous timeline of historical dynasties, with a primary focus on presenting the factual accounts of transportation development, key events, and their evolving characteristics. It paints a fundamental picture of the origins, formation, and development of transportation. Simultaneously, the author delves into the exploration of the mutual relationship between transportation and Chinese culture, elucidating how transportation is integrated with politics, economics, society, and international exchanges. This not only reflects the supporting role of transportation but also highlights its transformative effects. Additionally, the author has, based on ancient texts and historical sources, created road network maps from different eras and thoughtfully selected photographs of significant transportation landmarks to facilitate readers' intuitive comprehension.

This book is a splendid creation with a well-structured narrative, abundant visual content, and easy-to-understand language. The publication of this book not only helps readers to comprehensively grasp the main facets of China's transportation development but also fosters the spirit of self-improvement among those in the transportation industry, thereby bolstering the efforts to build a powerful transportation nation.

A Rich Legacy: The Birth of Chinese Transportation.- Ancient Transportation: From the Yinxu Carriage to the Emperor Carriage.- Unification of the Four Seas: Establishment of the Qin Empire and Qin Chi Road.- Postal Service System: An Everlasting Communication System.- Ancient Path of Qinling Mountains: Rise of the Great Han Empire under the Advancing Secretly by an Unknown Path.- Millennium Canal: Prosperity Forged by Water Transport of Grain.- Crossing Business and Travel: Ancient Tea Horse Road and Horse Caravan Transportation.- Urban Roads: Inheritance and Development of Traditional Chinese Urban Planning Wisdom.- Silk Road: Common Wealth and Great Unity.- Maritime Area: The Rise of Maritime Transport and Economic Development.- Driving Progress through Transportation: The Role of China's Highway Development in Economic Prosperity.- High-speed Railway Racing: A Hundred Years of Dramatic Changes in China's Railways.- Through Mountain and Cross Sea: The Outstanding Chinese Bridge and Channel.- Flight Dreams: From Ancient Aspirations to Contemporary Realization.- Urban Transport: Supporting and Leading the Way for Rapid Urbanisation and Motorisation in China.- Transportation towards the Globe: Great Upsurge of Ports and Water Transportation.- Pipeline Transport: The Energy Arteries Spanning Vast Distances.- Diverse: Wonders of Transportation Creation Throughout the Ages.- Transport in the Treasured Island: The Roller-Coaster Development.- Leap of Civilization: The Road to Sustainable Urban Transportation.- Intelligent Empowerment: Enabling People to Enjoy Mobility, Facilitating Goods to Flow Freely.- Glory Decade: Filling Gaps, Creating Miracles, Transport Development Reaches New Heights.- Carrying on the Past and Opening up the Future: Comprehensive Transportation Enters the Era of Integrated Development.

Huapu Lu is Director at National Road Traffic Management Technology Research Centre, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He serves as Traffic Consultant for the Land Transport Authority in Singapore and is holding key positions including Chairman of Special Interest Group 6 of World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR SIG6). His expertise extends to roles in various national expert groups and as a consultant for major cities like Beijing. As an accomplished academic, Professor Lu has authored over 200 SCI/EI papers and 25 books, focusing on areas like transportation planning, intelligent transportation systems, and traffic safety. He has spearheaded over 200 projects across China, involving prestigious institutions and major urban traffic planning initiatives.