As early as 187 1 year, Danish Dabei Telegraph Company connected the submarine cable between Nagasaki (Japan) and Shanghai to Dashan Island outside Wusongkou without authorization, and connected it with the British Concession Telegraph Office in Shanghai to send and receive international telegrams. Since then, British and American Telecom's sea line has also entered China.
The above invasion caused the Qing government to attach great importance to it and realized the seriousness of the problem of foreign businessmen setting up telegraph business in China. 1877, the same city telegraph was tried out between Tianjin and Shanghai, and the telegraph lines from Shanghai Hangyuan to Manufacturing Bureau and Tianjin Duyuan to Machinery Bureau were successively built, which was the beginning of our own telegraph business. 1In May, 879, the first military telegraph line in China was also announced to be built in Tianjin to Dagu and Beitang. 1884, the Qing government set up the inner city telegraph office to receive and send official telegrams, and the outer city telegraph office to receive and send business telegrams, and extended its first telegraph trunk line to the capital through Tongzhou, a suburb of Beijing. From then on, Beijing began to communicate by telegraph. At that time, it also used the imported Morse manual telegraph. By 1899, many telegraph lines had been built in China, which basically constituted the trunk telegraph network in China.
At the beginning of the 20th century, China widely used imported Morse automatic telegraph on busy lines to improve communication speed and quality. During the Republic of China, the situation was chaotic, and the development of telegraph as a means of communication was extremely slow. In the late 1920s, teletypewriter was introduced to China. During the ten years from 1927 to 1937, the state focused on upgrading and renovating 5000 kilometers of old and new telegraph lines, and the telegraph office 1500. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, the mainland telegraph office was also damaged to varying degrees. It was not until after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War that major cities began to resume and start express telegrams, international telegrams and night telegrams.
After the national liberation from 65438 to 0949, telegraph communication developed. The country has put into use a number of fax machines produced by the Soviet Union and Germany, and has successively launched real fax services. In order to strengthen international ties, 1950 On February 7, China and the Soviet Union signed the Agreement on Establishing Telegraph and Telephone Communication, and the international telex circuit from Beijing to Moscow was opened on February 2, 1959.
The earliest teleprinter developed and put into production in China is 1955 Model 55 teleprinter. Carrier telegraph was produced in 1959. 1964 developed a double-headed automatic transmitter; The following year, the transistor carrier telegraph came out. Telegraph offices all over the country adopt semi-automatic transmission equipment for tearing paper strips, which constitutes a relatively large telegraph communication network in China. At this point, domestic telegrams have gradually become the mainstream of the mainland market.
At the beginning of 1967, digital protection code was used in telex communication, which greatly improved the quality of telegraph communication. 1969, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications developed a more advanced Chinese telegraph decoder, which saved the procedure for telegraph practitioners to translate messages.
Fax telegram is called fax for short. Fax can be used to directly send the sender's documents, graphics, forms, photos, etc. Its popularity is mainly due to its fast communication speed and simple operation. The other party only needs a fax machine to receive the same copy as the original. Its transmission mode is divided into DC telegram and carrier telex transmission. If telegraph communication is realized, two parts of equipment are essential. One is the terminal equipment of telegraph communication, such as manual telegraph, teleprinter and five-unit automatic transmitter. The second is the transmission equipment of telegraph communication, such as communication lines, carrier telegrams, wireless transceivers, etc.
Teletypewriters include two types. One is mechanical teletypewriter, which relies on motor to drive a series of mechanical actions to receive or send signals; The other is an electronic teletypewriter, whose sending, receiving and coordination of all parts are controlled by electronic logic circuits. Common fax machines include original fax machine, photo fax machine, user fax machine, letter fax machine, electronic fax machine, computer automatic relay machine and so on.
In the early 1980s, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications decided to resume the use of manual telegraph code symbols, international notification terms and public telegraph code words. During the period of 1982, some cities in China opened international fax services, mainly targeting Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries and regions. In June, 1984, Xizang Autonomous Region tried Tibetan telegraph service. On August 1 of the same year, a 256-channel program-controlled automatic telegraph relay system designed and manufactured by China was put into operation in Shanghai Telegraph Bureau. The following year, the 524 Factory of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications successfully launched the Teletypewriter for Chinese characters, which has the function of automatically translating Chinese characters into electricity. In February of the following year, the first public fast fax communication network in Jiangsu Province, 65438+, was built, and later developed into an inter-provincial real fax service for 18 provincial capital cities. 1 988 65438+1October 6th, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications decided to launch the new service of "etiquette telegraph" in 33 cities nationwide from February1day, which met the needs of people at that time.
In 1990s, the telecommunications industry in China developed rapidly. The telegraph service has also developed, and the invitation telegraph service has been opened. 1990165438+1October 7th, Xining public telegraph automatic relay system was officially put into operation. Announced the completion of the public telegraph automatic relay network in all provincial capitals except Lhasa.
However, with the increasing number of users of wired telephone, mobile phone and wireless paging service, telecommunication services are diversified. Therefore, the traditional business of telegraph has been greatly impacted. Nowadays, few people go to the post office to send telegrams. Instead, fax machines enter the homes of ordinary people in large numbers. The situation of "urgent, send a telegram" can only be remembered by people.
Five-pin telegram
Five-pin telegraph works: two hands refer to the same letter being transmitted.
1844 On May 24th, Morse sent the first telegram in human history from Washington to Baltimore. In the packed Capitol, Morse manipulated the telegraph machine he had worked hard for more than ten years with trembling hands, and said, "What a miracle God has created!" In a word. 187 1 year-the earliest telegraph communication in China.
The waterlines from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Nagasaki to Shanghai laid by Britain, Russia and Denmark are 2237 nautical miles long. 187 1 April, in violation of the regulations that the Qing government was not allowed to land, the Danish Dabei Telegraph Company came forward and secretly led the submarine cable out of the sea, laid it along the Yangtze River and Huangpu River and landed in Shanghai, and set up a newspaper office at Nanjing Road 12. Notice 187 1 started on June 3rd. This was the first telegraph waterline of imperialist invasion of China, and it was also the telegraph office set up in Shanghai Concession.
1873-the earliest Chinese character coding in China
Because Chinese characters are composed of many radicals, with complex structure and diverse fonts, each character has a face, and telegrams are not directly represented by codes. Therefore, the method of using four Arabic numerals to represent a Chinese character, referred to as four-code telegram, has as many as 60,000 Chinese characters in China, and only 1 10,000 is commonly used, so it is expressed by the fourth power of 10( 10000). 1873, S·A· Vigour, a Frenchman living in China, referred to the radical arrangement method of Kangxi Dictionary, selected more than 6,800 commonly used Chinese characters, compiled the first Chinese character code book, and named it New Telegraph Book. Later, it was adapted into a new edition of China Telegraph by Zheng of our country. This is the earliest Chinese code in China.
1873- The earliest telegraph invented by China people.
1873, after returning from France, Wang Chengrong, an overseas Chinese, developed the first telegraph machine in China with Wang Bin in Fuzhou, and petitioned the government to run the telegraph machine by himself. The Qing government refused to adopt it.
1875-the earliest telegraph school in China
Ding Richang, the governor of Fujian Province, actively advocated the telegraph industry. 1875 telegraph school affiliated to Fujian ship administration school to train telegraph technicians. This is the first telegraph school in China.
1877-the first self-built telegraph line in China
During the period of 1877, Ding Richang, the governor of Fujian province, took advantage of his visit to Taiwan to propose the establishment of the Taiwan Province Provincial Telegraph Bureau, draw up the telegraph line construction plan, and sent Su Ruzhuo and Chen Pingguo, students of the telegraph school, to take charge. Build the flag first (now Kaohsiung) and then go to Fucheng (now Tainan). Responsible for this project is the military attache Shen Guoguang. It started in August 1877 and was completed in the same year1October1,with a total length of 95 miles. This is the first telegraph line built and managed by China people themselves, which has opened a new chapter for China Telecom.
1879-the first telegraph line independently built in Chinese mainland.
1879 (the fifth year of Guangxu in Qing dynasty), there were frequent wars at home and abroad. Russia seized the opportunity to seize China's Ili and sent warships into our territorial waters. In order to communicate the military situation, the Qing government sent Li Hongzhang to negotiate with the Danish Dabei Telegraph Company, which opened a telegraph office in China. China paid for it to build telegraph lines from Dagu (Fort) and Beitang (Fort) to Tianjin, and from Tianjin Arsenal to Li Hongzhang's yamen. This is the first military telegraph line independently built by Chinese mainland.
1880-the earliest ordinary telegraph office in China.
1880, Li Hongzhang set up the general telegraph office in Tianjin and appointed Sheng Xuanhuai as the general manager. He also established a telegraph school in Tianjin, hired Danes borson and Klitsyn as teachers, and entrusted Dabei Telegraph Company to order telecommunication equipment from abroad to prepare for the construction of a telegraph line from Tianjin to Shanghai.
188 1 year-the first long-distance public telegraph line in China.
In April, 188 1, construction started simultaneously from both ends of Shanghai and Tianjin. On February 24th, 12, the 3075-mile Tianjin-Shanghai telegraph line was completed. 188165438+officially opened on February 28th, sending and receiving public and private telegrams, and setting up telegraph branches in Zizhulin, Dagukou, Qingjiangpu, Jining, Zhenjiang, Suzhou and Shanghai. This is the first long-distance public telegraph line independently built by China.
1887—— The first submarine cable independently built by China.
Under the auspices of Liu Mingchuan, then Governor of Taiwan Province Province, Fujian-Taiwan Cable, a 433-mile telegraph water line from Fuzhou to Taiwan Province Province, was completed in 1887 at a huge cost. It connects Taiwan Province Province with the mainland and plays an important role in the development of Taiwan Province Province. This is the first submarine cable independently built by China.
1899- Guangzhou is the first city in China to use radio communication.
The earliest area in China where radio communication was used was Guangzhou. As early as 1899, wireless motors were installed in Guangzhou Governor's Office, Makou, Qianshan and Weiyuan forts, and warships such as Guang Hai, Bobby, Longxiang, Jiangda and Jianggong.
1905- Tianjin opens the earliest broadcasting school in China.
1In July, 905, Yuan Shikai, the minister of Beiyang, started a radio training class in Tianjin and hired an Italian Glass as a teacher. He also asked Glass to buy the fancy wireless fire extinguishing motor of Marconi Company and install it on Nanyuan, Baoding, Tianjin and some warships to communicate with each other by radio.
1906—— The earliest civil radio communication in China was opened.
1906 due to the interruption of submarine optical cable in Qiongzhou, Guangdong, wireless motors were set up in Qiongzhou and Xuwen, and civil radio communication was opened in both places. This is the beginning of civil radio communication in China.
1908- Opening a Radio Station in Shanghai
1908, British businessmen privately set up a radio station in the Zhong Hui Hotel in the British Concession in Shanghai to inform the ships at sea. Later, it was bought by the Qing government and moved to Shanghai telegraph office, which was the earliest radio station in Shanghai.
19 1 1 year-the earliest long-distance wireless telegraph communication in China.
19 1 1 year, German businessman Siemens Telephone Company applied to the Qing government to set up wireless telegrams in Beijing and Nanjing to conduct long-distance wireless communication experiments.
The radio stations are located in Dongbianmen, Beijing and Lion Mountain, Nanjing, and the test results are good. During the Revolution of 1911, the north-south cable communication was blocked, and the north-south communication relied on the experimental radio stations in these two places. Telecommunications belongs to the Ministry of Communications.
19 12, the government of the Republic of China took over the post and telecommunications department of the Qing government, reorganized it into the Ministry of Communications, and set up four departments, namely, the Telecommunications Department, the Post Office, the Highways Department and the Navigation Administration Department. This year:
Shanghai telegraph office began to send and receive telegrams with typewriters.
◆ Install induction coil (i.e. ordinary coil or load coil) on Beijing-Tianjin long-distance telephone line to improve the call quality.
◆ International Radiotelegraph Association stipulates that the call sign range of China's radio stations is XNA-XSZ.
1913-The earliest post and telecommunications school and wireless telegraph office were established.
In August, the School of Communication of the Ministry of Communications opened a class of wire electrical engineering and an advanced electrical engineering class to study wire and radio engineering respectively. In the same year, Beijing established a post and telecommunications school. There are advanced classes (graduated in two years) and intermediate classes (graduated in one year). In April, 19 19, a special telephone course was added (the enrollment target is only for graduates majoring in electrical engineering at home and abroad), and 20 students were enrolled. Beijing telegraph office was established, equipped with a 5 kW radio transmitter, and its address is outside Dongbianmen.
19 19- establish a radio remote control receiving office
1965438+In April 2009, Beijing Radio and Television Bureau moved to the Temple of Heaven. A remote receiving office was set up in the original site of Dongbianmen, Beijing Radio and Television Bureau, which directly received broadcast news from European and American countries with vacuum tube radios. On June 28th, the news that China delegates attending the Paris Peace Conference refused to sign a peace treaty with Germany reached the students sitting in front of the presidential palace, which inspired the anti-imperialist patriotic movement after the May 4th Movement. Since then, it has broken the situation that foreign companies Dabei, Dadong and Pacific monopolize foreign news dissemination.
1921-65438+1On October 7th, China acceded to the International Telegraph Convention.
1924- Shenyang begins to build long-distance radio stations.
1924, a radio receiver was first set up in the octagonal pavilion of Shenyang Forbidden City to receive news from all over the world, and one-way communication was concluded with Germany and France (that is, one-way reception of telegrams from Europe to China). In the autumn of the same year, the wave power station of Peking University was completed, and a 10 kW vacuum tube transmitter was installed, which realized long-distance communication with Dihua (now Urumqi, Xinjiang) and Yunnan.
1927- China-EU two-way bulletin.
1927 In June, a large-scale short-wave radio station in Shenyang was built, and a German radio transmitter of 10 kW was installed. At the end of the year, Shenyang Radio International was established, and a two-way notification circuit was established with Germany. This is the beginning of direct communication between China and Europe. 1928 added an American shortwave transmitter of 10 kW. Shenyang Radio International accepted and forwarded international telegrams from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Hankou, and became the largest international radio station in China at that time.
1930- Shanghai Radio International was established.
From 1930 to 65438+February, direct wireless telegraph communication was established with San Francisco, Berlin and Paris. Officially opened China-US, China-Germany and China-France circuits. This was the only international telecommunications institution operated by the state at that time.
1933 telegraph was first used for telegraph communication in China.
1937- China began to install unidirectional or three-way carrier machines on long-distance trunk lines. After liberation, the telegraph industry in New China flourished. 1969, "Chinese telegraph decoder" came out, which can automatically translate electric codes into Chinese characters. The telegram received by the telegraph office is not a set of Arabic numerals, but directly printed Chinese characters. The three working processes of the Chinese telegraph decoder are: firstly, the received telegraph code is automatically translated into numbers or letters like a teletypewriter, and then the four numbers are automatically translated into Chinese characters like an electric translator, and the printer is controlled to print Chinese characters.
The translation and printing speed of Chinese decoder is quite amazing, up to 2800 Chinese characters per minute, with an average of 1500 Chinese characters per minute. Its appearance solved the problem of automatic translation of four codes into Chinese characters in the process of telegraph transmission.
However, there is nothing it can do to automatically translate Chinese characters into numbers in the process of sending telegrams. Therefore, in order to realize the automatic translation of telegrams in the process of sending and receiving newspapers at the same time, in the early 1980 s, China developed the "Chinese Teletypewriter", also known as the "Chinese Teleprinter". The shape of Chinese character telegraph is similar to that of ordinary Chinese typewriter. There is a row of Chinese characters on the surface of the machine. Press this key, the corresponding Chinese character signal can be automatically sent to the other party. The receiver can print Chinese characters directly on paper according to the message format, or make several copies with carbon paper. Chinese telegrams can also dictate instructions, and their notification speed is higher than that of electronic telegrams at that time.
August 1, 200 1: Starting from today, China Telecom Group Co., Ltd. cancels the urgent and urgent business in the public telegraph service. This indicates that the traditional telegraph service is fading out of people's lives under the impact of the rapidly developing emerging communication industry. For 40 years, the beautiful music of "Dongfanghong" and "Sunrise" has always echoed over the West Chang 'an Avenue in Beijing at the hour, and the Beijing Telegraph Building has almost become a symbol of the times. Nowadays, the telegraph service counter in this famous telegraph building is curled up in a very inconspicuous place, and only a few users send telegrams every day.
Before 1985, the business volume of public telegrams in Beijing telegraph office reached 3 million copies per month at its peak, accounting for half of the total business volume of the telegraph office. In recent years, although new services such as flower etiquette telegrams developed by the telegraph department have been well received by users, due to the impact of many more effective means of communication, the overall telegraph business of urban residents has plummeted. The business volume of public telegrams is only about 400,000 copies per month, accounting for only 3% of the total business volume of telegraph offices.
In contrast, Beijing's ordinary telephone, mobile phone, fax, electronic data exchange, computer communication and satellite communication have developed rapidly. The rapid development of technology and the endless stream of business products have strongly promoted the upgrading of communication consumption structure. The telephone penetration rate in China is increasing at a rate of 1 to 2% per year, and the number of fixed telephone users in China exceeds 1 100 million, making it the largest user group in China. At the same time, mobile phones are welcomed by consumers because of their convenience, rapidity and personalization, and the per capita consumption reaches 73 yuan, which is 8 times higher than that of 1995. The number of Internet users in China has reached 26 million. With the development of the Internet, the consumption of data and multimedia communication has also increased rapidly, reaching 3.6 yuan per capita, with the proportion rising from 0.9% in 1997 to 1.7%. However, the traditional telegraph service is declining, and the decline is obvious, from per capita 1.6 yuan to 0.2 yuan, and the proportion has dropped to 0. 1%. Regarding the prospect of the telegraph industry, a person from the Ministry of Information Industry said that the communication facilities in western China are still relatively backward, and the traditional telegraph industry will not disappear immediately. Looking back at the development history of China telegraph, we can see that telegraph has played a very important role in the development of China.
On July 13 and 17, the reporter visited Shanghai Telecom Building and Shanghai Telecom Museum, and learned that China's telegraph business with a history of 142 years has also shrunk dramatically, but the "single spark" is still shining: in Shanghai's Yan 'an East Road 1 122 Telecom Building. Ironically, the company announced the news on the Internet. Internet, a high-tech means of communication, is only one of the important reasons why telegrams "quit". With fewer and fewer people using telegrams, the news was ignored for a week before it caught the attention of the public media.
According to Western Union, the last 65,438+00 telegrams included birthday wishes, condolences to the deceased and urgent notices. Among them, many people who send telegrams are not loyal fans of telegrams, but come to "send the last telegram in American history."
Western Union was founded in 1855. At that time, telegraph was an advanced and popular means of communication, which was later called "Victorian Internet". It is also the last company in the United States to provide telegraph service.