117 years ago today, on January 13, 1908 (December 10, 1907 lunar calendar), China, Britain and Germany signed the "Jinpu Railway Loan Contract". Old Photo of Tianjin Station of Jinpu Railway In September 1898, the British and German capital groups held a meeting in London behind China's back and decided to undertake the Jinzhen Railway (Tianjin to Zhenjiang) without authorization. The Qing government succumbed to the pressure of imperialism and signed the draft loan contract in May 1899. On January 13, 1908, the loan contract was signed, and the Jinzhen Railway was changed to Jinpu Railway. The Jinpu Railway has a total length of 1,009 kilometers. The northern section starts from the junction of the two roads south of the Tianjin Terminal of the Beijing-Feng Railway and reaches Hanzhuang, Shandong, with a length of 626 kilometers; the southern section runs from Hanzhuang to Pukou, with a length of 383 kilometers. The two sections were started in July 1908 and January 1909 respectively, and were connected in September 1911. The whole line was opened to traffic in 1912. In 1908, the Qing government signed a contract with the Anglo-German syndicate, and later signed a "Renewal of Loan Contract". The main contents are: the loan is 9.80 million pounds; each of the Anglo-German is the chief engineer; the Anglo-German syndicate is the agent of road construction materials, and has the priority of borrowing. The Anglo-German has since controlled the Jinpu Railway and strengthened its aggression in North China.