Chapter 262 The Belle Époque
"Mr. Zhang, I know a nice hotel where we can rest for a night and then go to Paris together tomorrow!" A lucky French traveler got off the boat with Zhang Xingjiu. He was sure to hear more stories than others.
"Thank you, Mr. Pierre." This is not the 21st century. It would be a bit troublesome for a Chinese to appear on French soil without a local accompanying him.
Sure enough, Zhang Xingjiu felt unhappy as soon as he arrived at the hotel. The innkeeper was obviously discriminating against him. If Pierre hadn't spoken for him, he might not have been able to check in even with the francs.
Even Pierre's words of blame on the hotel owner made him feel unhappy. "Mr. Zhang is not an ordinary Chinese. He is a student at the Sorbonne University and an excellent writer."
In other words, if an ordinary Chinese person came here today, he deserved to be discriminated against. The world in the 19th century was like this without any disguise. If you were a citizen of a backward country, it would be difficult to get courtesy abroad.
After a night's rest, Pierre invited Zhang Xingjiu to a very famous restaurant in the morning to taste the authentic seafood of Marseille. Then they went to the train station together and bought two first-class seats to Paris.
It is about 600 kilometers from Marseille to Paris, and later high-speed trains only take more than three to less than four hours.
More than forty years ago, when French Emperor Napoleon III traveled by train from Marseille to Paris, the "Crampton" steam locomotive set a speed record of an average of 100 kilometers per hour.
The train they were riding traveled at a speed of about 60 to 70 kilometers per hour, and including the stopover time, it would take about ten hours to reach Paris, and almost the entire day would be spent on the train.
This gave Zhang Xingjiu a good opportunity to observe the current situation in France. Along the way, Pierre proudly and endlessly introduced the beauty of France to him.
Today's France is indeed worthy of his pride, because France is now in a special period in its history - the Bellepoque.
Of course, there is no such term now. The Belle Époque is a nostalgic term that emerged after World War I and refers mainly to French society between 1890 and 1914, also known as the Golden Age.
After the Franco-Prussian War, no matter who was in power in France, they all worked hard to restore the national economy.
In the late 1870s, the Minister of Public Works and engineer Charles de Freycinet formulated a transportation development plan, the famous "Fressine Plan", the main focus of which was the construction of a railway network and the improvement of the water and land transportation system.
In the early 1980s, the state allocated 5 billion francs for the "Fressine Plan". During the 20 years of continuous construction, 30,000 kilometers of new railways, 200,000 kilometers of roads, 200 kilometers of canals were dug, and new ports such as Le Havre, Nantes, Bordeaux, Rouen, and Dunkirk were opened and dredged.
Domestic water and land transportation was further facilitated, stimulating and promoting the development of the entire industrial production.
The industry has developed rapidly, and hydroelectric power, automobile manufacturing, aluminum industry, chemical industry, petroleum industry, etc. have been world leaders since their inception, and the luxury goods manufacturing industry is now famous all over the world.
Agriculture has also achieved rapid development due to the large-scale application of machinery and chemical fertilizers and the gradual popularization of improved varieties.
A middle class with middle-level business owners, bosses, financial rentiers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, journalists and civil servants as its main members emerged. The status of intellectuals and scientists was improved, and the whole society showed a scene of vitality and development.
Through the car window, Zhang Xingjiu could feel this atmosphere. In the farmland on the plains, one could often see various machines emitting black smoke. They plowed the land with huge plows, and their efficiency was much higher than that of Zhang Fuqing plowing the land with a hoe.
In some desolate areas, you can still see busy workers using various machines to dig canals, pave roads, and dig railroad tracks. These convenient transportation facilities have laid a solid foundation for France's economic development.
Such convenient transportation is not all good. More than ten years later, the Germans used these transportation routes to quickly invade France and reach the outskirts of Paris.
At this time, convenient transportation became a good thing. General Joffre followed the advice of his staff and mobilized taxis from all over the city. In just 24 hours, thousands of taxis transported 6,000 officers and soldiers to the Marne River position, and ultimately saved the city.
In almost every city he passed by, he could see factories and houses under construction. These scenes made Zhang Xingjiu feel particularly familiar, because this was the case in China more than a hundred years later, and the scenes during the peak of economic development were similar.
When they arrived at the old district of Paris, it was already dark. Zhang Xingjiu could not report to the Sorbonne University that day, so he accepted Pierre's invitation and went to the hotel to drop off his luggage before going to experience the nightlife of Paris together.
Paris in 1896 was very lively even at night, with lights flashing everywhere. The huge and wealthy consumer group - the bourgeoisie class pioneered the modern consumption model.
Gentlemen and ladies in bright clothes took horse-drawn carriages to high-end restaurants, fashionable cafes, department stores, theaters, clubs and other places to spend time. Newsstands were filled with all kinds of fashion magazines. Sports, fitness, fashionable clothing and perfume became the objects of ladies' enthusiasm.
Pierre took Zhang Xingjiu to enjoy a authentic French meal. Burgundy red wine, champagne sturgeon, lamb ribs, salads and banoffee were served in glass, porcelain and silverware and placed on the table covered with linen.
When Zhang Xingjiu appeared in the restaurant, it caused quite a stir. Perhaps it was the first time that a yellow person walked into this restaurant. Pierre introduced his identity as a student of the Sorbonne University and was immediately invited in.
This was also a sign of the rising status of scholars. They all felt that even if Zhang Xingjiu was a yellow person, as long as he could be admitted to the Sorbonne University, he would be qualified to dine with them.
Zhang Xingjiu couldn't help but complain in his heart. In Shaoxing, one had to pass the imperial examination to have a certain status, but in Europe, he had to rely on the identity of a college student to make a living. It seemed that when he was strolling in Paris in the future, he must wear the school badge of the Sorbonne University, so that he could avoid a lot of trouble.
After enjoying a sumptuous French meal, Pierre called a horse-drawn carriage and took Zhang Xingjiu to another place. He kept it a secret along the way and refused to reveal the destination to Zhang Xingjiu.
When they arrived at the place and saw the building in front of them, Zhang Xingjiu was no longer sleepy.
(End of this chapter)
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