China’s First RailroadSoon after this 15-mile-long railroad was constructed near Shanghai in 1876 by the British firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Company, the provincial governor bought it in order to tear it out. Many Chinese of the period saw the introduction of railroads as harmful not only to the balance of nature but also to people’s livelihoods, because the railroads eliminated jobs in transport like dragging boats along canals or driving pack horses. (Private Collection/Visual Connection Archive)