Chapter 283: Verne's Impression of Nanhua (Third update, please subscribe)

As time entered the year 1869, the ship from the Old World finally sailed into South China Bay. The passengers on the deck all looked at South China and the city curiously.

What appeared before them was a strange city, but a city full of opportunities. Unlike New York, there were no so-called "Native American Association" stones to welcome them, nor hunger and poverty. They didn't even worry about work at all - they were all immigrants who signed company contracts.

As early as five years ago, Zhu Xianhai issued notices to branches and offices in London, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg and other places, requiring them to make attracting skilled immigrants a top priority. Especially with the influx of Chinese immigrants, the actual control area of ​​Nanhua has expanded inland, and the demand for labor in various industries has been basically met due to the arrival of Chinese immigrants, but the demand for technicians is extremely strong. In order to recruit technicians and even skilled workers to work in Nanhua, the company will directly recruit in Europe, place advertisements in European newspapers, and even print brochures to describe the attractive prospects of immigration to Nanhua; and will provide the necessary travel expenses for skilled immigrants and sign employment contracts with them.

These are things that the United States could not do. Many immigrant American technicians could only struggle in the slums of Lower Manhattan. But in South China, with the help of national will, a large number of European technicians and skilled workers came to South China.

In 1869 alone, tens of thousands of technicians and their families came to Nanhua. The arrival of these technicians and skilled workers greatly accelerated the development of Nanhua.

Of course, Zhu Xianhai was not worried about their backstabbing at all, not only because 620,000 Chinese immigrants came to Nanhua in the same year, and the Chinese population in Nanhua had exceeded 3 million, while the number of European immigrants was only over 60,000. He also directly rejected the opportunity for ordinary immigrants to enter Nanhua - of course, he never discriminated against those unskilled Europeans, the Chinese were civilized, and discrimination was something that only white people could do.

Apart from the company's merchant ships, there are currently no civilian passenger routes between Nanhua and Europe. As for the company's merchant ships... they only transport the company's employees and their families. If you are not an employee of the company... I'm sorry.

Well, if you want to come to Nanhua, you have to go to the office to sign an employment contract. What are your specialties? What skills do you have? Which school did you graduate from? In a word, there are many conditions and restrictions. After all, a company needs to make a profit, and it is impossible for it to support idle people, right?

Of course, nothing is absolute.

For a famous person like Verne, the company of course sold him the ship ticket readily, and this readiness was also due to the letter of introduction from the agent in Paris.

As a famous writer, Verne was curious about Nanhua, especially after the Spanish princess of the Bonaparte family married to Nanhua. He always had a certain curiosity about this place where the electric light was invented.

But what really drove him here were the many rumors about this city.

“This is a city where you can see the future!”

Perhaps it is because the electric lights are so amazing, or perhaps it is because there are tall buildings everywhere, which makes many people describe Nanhua in this way in their travel notes.

Finally, after several months of careful preparation, Verne arrived at Nanhua. At this time, he, like the passengers around him, was full of expectations. However, unlike other people's expectations for a new life, what he was looking forward to was what kind of surprises Nanhua would give him.

Verne, who had a business visa, did not need to go through numerous inspections like immigrants. After getting off the ship with his luggage, he passed the customs inspection directly and entered Nanhua. As soon as he stepped out of the dock, he was stunned by the city in front of him.

"This is……"

Under his feet was a flat black road, and one could vaguely see that the road surface was paved with gravel the size of corn kernels.

"This is the asphalt road they mentioned in their travel notes. It is indeed smoother and of better quality than the one in Paris."

In fact, there are asphalt gravel roads in Europe, but the paving method is very simple. It is to pour a layer of asphalt directly on the gravel. The thickness is uneven and there are also problems with adhesion. Nanhua, on the other hand, mixes asphalt and gravel with a special machine. The road surface paved with this material is smoother and more durable.

Like many people, after stepping on the road and being surprised at the difference in the road, he was stunned by the South China Shipping Company building in front of him.

"This building is really tall..."

This is a ten-story building. This type of building, built with a steel beam frame and reinforced concrete, appeared in South China in 1861. From the initial three floors to the current more than ten floors, for people of this era, a ten-story building is already a skyscraper. In history, until the Home Insurance Building built in Chicago in 1885, the world's first skyscraper, it only had 11 floors.

But now Nan Hua has more than sixty buildings with more than ten floors, and even a 19-story building - the Atlantic Insurance Company Building.

"This, this is really a city in the sky!"

Standing on the side of the road in a daze, Verne stared at the building in front of him with a dull expression, watching the employees coming in and out of the revolving glass door. Even as a Frenchman, he felt a bit like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden. He felt like a country bumpkin, standing there at a loss.

Just then, a short but strong man pulled a cart and stopped in front of him. Amid the jingling of the cart bells, the man gave him a simple smile.

"Sir, do you need a car?"

Although he couldn't understand what the man was saying, Verne still figured out what he meant. This was the "rickshaw" unique to Nanhua.

Many people's travel notes mentioned two types of transportation on the streets of Nanhua, one is a household bicycle, and the other is a human-pulled "rickshaw". Although there are many horse-drawn carriages in Nanhua and horses are not expensive, rickshaws are still popular in Nanhua because of their low cost and convenience.

In Verne's opinion, this kind of car is just a seat on wheels, with two long handles in front for the driver to pull, and a folded canopy behind the seat, which seems to be used to block the sun and rain. The driver wears a blue T-shirt and a vest with the number "0026" written on it.

"I... go, here..."

Although he didn't know Chinese and couldn't communicate with the driver, Verne still took out a nameplate. It was given to him by the South China representative in Paris, saying that it was the best restaurant in South China.

“Here, here…”

The driver took the card, looked at it and smiled.

"Ah, you are talking about this place, the Atlantic Hotel, the best hotel in South China. Please sit tight, we will take you there right away..."

(End of this chapter)