Training the Heavens

Chapter 262 The Good Old Days
"Mr. Zhang, I know a nice hotel where we can rest for a night and then go to Paris together tomorrow!" A lucky French passenger 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 person 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 discriminatory towards him. If it weren't for Pierre's help, he might not have been able to check in even with francs.

Even Pierre's words of blame against the hotel owner were offensive to his ears. "Mr. Zhang is not an ordinary Chinese. He is a student at the Sorbonne and an excellent writer."

In other words, if you were an ordinary Chinese person coming here today, you would deserve to be discriminated against. The world in the 19th century was like that without any disguise. If you were a citizen of a backward country, it would be difficult to receive courtesy abroad.

After a night's rest, Pierre invited Zhang Xingjiu to a very famous restaurant in the morning to taste authentic seafood in Marseille. Then they went to the train station together and bought two first-class tickets 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 100 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 kilometers per hour.

The train they took 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 was full of pride and kept introducing the beauty of France to him.

Today's France is indeed worthy of his pride, because France is now in a special period in 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 mainly refers 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 the French government, 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, and new and dredged ports such as Le Havre, Nantes, Bordeaux, Rouen, and Dunkirk were built.

Domestic water and land transportation has been further unblocked, stimulating and promoting the development of the entire industrial production.

The industry has developed rapidly, and hydropower generation, 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 also experienced rapid growth thanks to the widespread use of machinery and fertilizers, as well as the increasing availability of improved varieties. A middle class emerged, primarily composed of mid-sized business owners, bosses, financial rentiers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, journalists, and civil servants. The status of intellectuals and scientists rose, and society as a whole exhibited a vibrant and dynamic scene.

Through the car window, Zhang Xingjiu could feel this atmosphere. In the cultivated land 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 Zhang Fuqing's plowing 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 6000 officers and soldiers to the Marne River position, and finally 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 situation 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 today, 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 bustling even at night, with lights flashing everywhere. The huge and wealthy consumer group - the bourgeoisie - 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 various fashion magazines. Sports, fitness, fashionable clothing, and perfume became the subjects of ladies' enthusiasm.

Pierre took Zhang Xingjiu to enjoy a genuine French meal. Burgundy red wine, champagne sturgeon, lamb ribs, salads and bonbonniere were served in glassware, porcelain and silverware and placed on the table covered with linen.

When Zhang Xingjiu appeared in the restaurant, he 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 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. When he was in Shaoxing, he had to pass the 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 seems that when he strolls around Paris in the future, he must wear the school badge of Sorbonne University, so that he can avoid a lot of trouble.

After enjoying a sumptuous French meal, Pierre called a carriage and took Zhang Xingjiu to another place. He kept it secret along the way and refused to reveal the destination to Zhang Xingjiu.

When he arrived at the place and saw the building in front of him, Zhang Xingjiu was no longer sleepy.

(End of this chapter)