A linha de comboio que não chegou a existir

On 11 December 1904, Portugal and China signed a convention for the construction of a railway between Guangzhou and Macao. It was not implemented, but let's recall this subject and some of the copnvention articles... It stated that the Portuguese would operate it for 50 years and then hand it over to the Chinese side.

“In the event of war, rebellion or famine, the Chinese government will have a preferential right to send troops, arms, ammunition and provisions at half the usual rates,” states article 26. “In the event of war, the (railway) company will not render help to the enemies of China.” Because the Qing dynasty was overthrown seven years later, the line was never built. It was only in 2011 – 107 years later – that the first railway linking Guangzhou to cities on the western side of the Pearl River was completed; the terminus is in Zhuhai, from where passengers can walk to the border with Macao. 

The convention is one of 50 documents relating to Macao that are stored in the National Palace Museum (NPM) in Taipei.

Contexto:

Em Novembro de 1901 em Enviado Extraordinário chegou de Portugal à China com a missão de acertar com o governo chinês uma delimitação da fronteira de Macau. A linha de demarcação apresentada pelo enviado incluía certas ilhas que o governo chinês se recusava a reconhecer como parte da então colónia portuguesa.  

De acordo com o Tratado de 1887, os governos da China e Portugal nomearam Comissários para negociar a delimitação das fronteiras de Macau e suas dependências, mas a China não aceitou cerca de metade do território reivindicado pela parte portuguesa. O assunto seguiu para o Tribunal de Arbitragem da Haia...

A missão não teve sucesso mas o Enviado conseguiu uma concessão para a ligação ferroviária entre Macau e Cantão. A dita Convenção precisava ainda da aprovação das Cortes (em Lisboa) e o Enviado, senhor Branco rumou ao Oriente novamente em 1904. Em Novembro desse ano, um novo acordo foi celebrado com o governo chinês, mas o governo de Lisboa não aceitou os termos e recusou a ratificação. Foi anunciado na imprensa local que um sindicato de capitalistas chineses e portugueses havia reunido um capital de quatro milhões de dólares para a construção da ferrovia que nunca chegou a ser começada. Talvez pela forte concorrência da ligação fluvial entre as duas cidades. A linha ferroviária teria 50 milhas de comprimento. 

Context:

In November 1901 an Envoy Extraordinary arrived from Portugal his mission being to arrange with the Chinese Government for a delimitation of the boundary of the Colony.

The line of demarcation submitted by the Envoy included certain islands which the Chinese Government refused to acknowledge as being part of the Portuguese colony and the Envoy while not successful in gaining this point secured a concession for a from Macao to Canton.

The convention however did not meet with the approval of the Cortes at Lisbon and Senhor Branco came to the East again in 1904.

In November a new agreement was arranged with the Chinese Government but the Government at Lisbon regarded the terms as far from satisfactory and refused ratification It was announced in the local Press that a syndicate of Chinese and Portuguese capitalists had subscribed a capital of four million dollars for the construction of the railway but there are no indications at present of a commencement being made with the work and it is generally doubted whether a railway through a district so well provided with waterways would prove remunerative.

A railway 50 miles in length is however being constructed under Chinese direction in the Sunning district and this will doubtless beneficially affect trade and commerce in the neighbourhood of Macao. A New Commercial Treaty was arranged with China in November 1904. In accordance with the Treaty of 1887 the Governments of China and Portugal in 1909 appointed Commissioners to delimitate the boundaries of Macao and its Dependencies but China would not admit Portugal's title to half the territory claimed and the Portuguese Commissioner interrupted the negotiations after they had been in nearly four months and reference to the dispute to The Hague Arbitration Tribunal China has definitively refused to agree to this.

O projecto ferroviário foi uma ideia do governo de Macau que pretendia ligar o território a Cantão (Guangzhou), uma das cidades comerciais mais importantes da China, e diversificar a economia do território. O acordo estabelecia que uma empresa conjunta luso-chinesa construiria a ferrovia, com participações iguais, abertas a empresários privados. As negociações foram conduzidas por Pedro Nolasco da Silva e Lam Tac Iun. Num dos artigos pode ler-se: “Como esta linha férrea é construída por empresários portugueses e chineses, o governo português não pode, sob qualquer pretexto de interferir com os assuntos relacionados com esta empresa”.
Os engenheiros inspeccionariam as terras entre Macau e Guangzhou por onde deveria passar a linha férrea, elaboravam a rota e submetiam-na ao Comissário Imperial, Director-Geral das Ferrovias, para aprovação. 
O acordo estabelecia regras para a aquisição de terras e o pagamento de indemnizações: “Se a terra estiver ocupada por cemitérios deve ser feito um desvio. Mas, no caso de sepulturas isoladas e se nenhum desvio for possível, a empresa pagará as despesas da remoção das sepulturas, além do preço da terra. 
No texto do acordo fica patente o objectivo da empreitada: aumentar o comércio e a prosperidade. "Todos devem manter a ordem, abster-se de criar distúrbios e cumprir seu próprio dever, sob a pena de uma punição severa". 
A empresa teria ainda de construir uma alfândega em Macau, onde os funcionários aduaneiros podiam examinar todos os bens transportados. Pelo acordo, o governo concedia à empresa o direito de construir um sanatório e um resort de verão no distrito de Heongshan e de construir escolas para treinar meninos chineses como intérpretes e com habilidades técnicas necessárias para a ferrovia. “Os engenheiros e outras pessoas empregadas pela empresa ferroviária, seja em qualquer capacidade técnica ou especial, podem ser estrangeiros, mas os restantes teriam de ser locais. “Se a empresa entrar em falência ou estiver em dificuldades financeiras, os dois governos, português e chinês, não incorrerão em responsabilidade e não pagarão indemnização”. Pedro Nolasco da Silva (n. 1842) foi um dos mais proeminentes macaenses da sua geração, serviu de intérprete para o governo português nestas negociações com a dinastia Qing.

The railway project was an idea from the Portuguese side. The Portuguese wanted to link Macao with Guangzhou, one of China’s most important commercial cities, and diversify the economy of their colony.

The agreement states that a joint Portuguese-Chinese company would build the railway, with shares held equally by the two sides, led by Pedro Nolasco da Silva and Lam Tac Iun respectively. The Chinese side would provide half the capital and the Portuguese side the other half, including Chinese merchants who lived in Macao or had foreign nationality.

“As this railway is constructed by Portuguese and Chinese merchants, the Portuguese government can under no pretext interfere with the affairs in connection with this company,” the agreement says.

Engineers would survey the land between Macao and Guangzhou, draw up the route and submit it to the Imperial Commissioner, Director-General of Railways, for approval.

The agreement sets out rules for acquiring land and paying compensation to those living on it. “If the land should be occupied by cemeteries, a detour must be made. But, in the case of isolated graves and if no detour is possible, the company will liberally pay the expenses of the removal of the graves in addition to the price of the land.”

The local authorities would explain to people that the railway was designed to increase trade and prosperity. “Everyone must keep order, abstain from creating disturbances and do his own duty, under the penalty of a severe punishment.”

The company had to build a customs house in Macao, where customs officials could examine all the goods being carried on the railway and collect the necessary duties.

Under the agreement, the government granted the company the right to build a sanatorium and summer resort in the Heongshan district and to build schools to train Chinese boys as interpreters and with technical skills needed for the railway.

“The engineers and other persons employed by the railway company, either in any technical or special capacity, may be foreigners, but the labourers of all kinds will be natives.

“If the company becomes bankrupt or is in financial difficulties, the two governments, Portuguese and Chinese, will incur no responsibility and will pay no indemnity.”

Pedro Nolasco da Silva (n. 1842) was one of the most prominent Macanese of his generation, acted as interpreter for the Portuguese government in its negotiations with the Qing dynasty.