Beijing - Hankou (1899-1905) the first Chinese railway line

From July 9 to 28, 2013, the Cernuschi Museum is hosting a presentation of historical photos retracing the history of construction between 1899 and 1905, of the 1-kilometer-long railway line connecting the capital Beijing to Hankou in the south.
The Cernuschi Museum, the Asian arts museum of the City of Paris, owes its name and its creation to Henri Cernuschi (1821-1896) who bequeathed to the city of Paris its mansion and its Asian collections. Italian refugee in Paris in 1850 then naturalized French in 1871, Henri Cernuschi is an extraordinary character: patriotic republican, recognized economist, internationally respected expert for his theories on monetary circulation, banker, man of the world and art lover.
He is one of the founders and in 1869, the first director of the Banque de Paris which will become in 1872, during the merger with the Bank of credit and deposits of the Netherlands, the Bank of Paris and of the Netherlands . This will play with the Comptoir National d'Escompte de Paris and Société Générale de Belgique, an important role in the financing of the Beijing-Hankou railway line, the construction of which was decided by the Chinese imperial power.