The War of Resistance Against Japan: Re-imagining the Sven Hedin’s Special Contribution to the modern Northwest Highway

Abstract

The study tries to understand the significance of the construction of the rails and roads—a chain of the Silk Route, which enabled China to re-emerge as an ancient civilization. In this regard, one name is the most unforgettable in carrying on the old tradition. Undoubtedly, this is him, Mr. Hedin. Relive Sven Hedin’s life and work in China and see his unique contribution to the War of Resistance Against Japan through the Northwest Highway built in China in the 1930s. Speaking of the Silk Road, everyone will naturally think of the prosperity of this ancient commercial road connecting the Chinese and Western civilizations during the Han and Tang Dynasties, and also links it to the Belt and Road Initiative implemented by the Chinese government, the initiative has brought great opportunities for common development and common prosperity to countries along the Belt and Road. However, in the 1930s, few people would realize the high value of this nearly deserted ancient trade route, but Sven Hedin discovered its practical significance. His proposal to the Chinese government to build a northwest highway and a railway system, it is an explorer who uses his wealth of knowledge and perspectives beyond the times to guide China to the right path. Compared with the ancient Silk Road, this is the first modern road from Xinjiang to the interior land. In the 1930s, this was already a great progress, although it is not a highway in the sense of modernization, its construction and impact on the coming decades is beyond imagination. Through this northwest highway, the Chinese government connected the interior land with Xinjiang and strengthened its control of the northwest frontier, this northwest highway delivered a large number of military material from the Soviet Union to China, making a great contribution to the War of Resistance Against Japan. Hedin’s life and works in China in the 1930s are a crucial case study to understand modern-day China and to learn lessons from it. By reviewing his involvement in northwest China transportation planning and reading his works, we can understand the true purpose of his grand plan and why it still affects China today. The main argument of this paper is the extent to which Hedin’s legacy can help China build modern roads and railways to revive the Silk Road.