铁路是近代西方科技文明的产物。建筑铁路本来是一种简单的、文明的事业,可是近代中国的铁路建设,情况则要复杂的多,它从一开始就与帝国主义列强对中国的侵略与掠夺紧密联系在一起,对中国近代政治、经济、外交、社会诸方面均产生极大的影响。因此,铁路史研究历来是中国近代史研究中深受学者重视的一个领域。以往研究者或侧重于列强国家在争夺铁路修建权问题上对华关系的研究,如李国祁先生的《中国早期的铁路经营》(台北中央研究院近代史研究所,1961年),或注重全面揭示列强通过铁路对 Railway is the product of modern Western civilization of science and technology. The construction railway was originally a simple and civilized undertaking. However, the railway construction in modern China is much more complicated. From the very beginning, it was closely linked with the aggression and plunder of China by the imperialist powers, Political, economic, diplomatic and social aspects have a tremendous impact. Therefore, the history of railway history has always been one of the areas that scholars have paid much attention to in the study of modern Chinese history. Previous researchers or researchers focusing on the relations between powers in competing for railway construction rights, such as Mr. Li Guoqi’s “Early Chinese Railway Management” (Institute of Modern History at Taipei Academia Sinica, 1961) The strong line by rail