·西开教堂

        咸丰十一年(1861)四月二十四日,法国继英国之后,在天津划定租界。法租界之东、北,均临海河; 西至海大道(今大沽路)以东的巴黎路(今吉林路附近) ; 东南接英租界,面积约360亩。但法租界当局不满足于此,一直谋求租界扩张。第一次扩张,是通过越界筑路,蚕食海大道东北和西南地段。第二次扩张,扩张后的所谓“扩充界”约2000亩。第三次扩张,是民国前后,租界当局指使天主教会,在老西开大量购买土地; 接着,从1913年开始,又在墙子河西岸建造主教府、教堂及医院、学校等。
        1916年夏,西开教堂工程竣工后,于当年10月20日晚,法国驻津领事指使巡捕,悍然派兵侵占老西开(今西开天主教堂周围地区),将9名中国警察缴械拘留,天津广大群众奋起抗争,爆发了 “老西开事件” 。
        老西开被法国巡捕占领的翌日晨,各界千余名群众在商务总会集会,召开“维持国权国土大会” ,愤怒谴责法国侵略者的罪行,会后列队游行,沿路群众踊跃参加,队伍先后到省公署、省议会,进行请愿。是日,顺直省议会举行特别会议讨论,邀请维持国权国土会代表旁听。会议议决,速请直隶交涉员王麟阁到法国领事署交涉; 推举议员6人,协同维持国权国土会代表2人,即赴京面陈北京政府。省长朱家宝、交涉员王麟阁,接见请愿代表时表示: “一定要维护主权。”
        10月22日,省议会致电国务院,声明誓不承认法国强盗行径。10月23日,天津商务总会千余人集会,做出3项决议: 抵制法货、抵制法国货币、撤换法国驻华使节。10月25日,各界群众8000多人集会,在南市大舞台成立“天津公民大会” ,并通电全国各地,提出“与法国断绝贸易关系”等6项措施。10月28日,北洋政府外交次长夏诒霆到天津“调查” ; 10月29日,几千名群众到交涉员公署,要求夏诒霆报告交涉结果。夏说: “把老西开开辟为法租界是经过政府允许的,你们不要再反对。”并斥责群众“胡闹” ,从而激起群众的愤怒,痛打了夏诒霆,捣毁了交涉员公署的部分房屋。夏诒霆、王麟阁仓皇越墙而逃。
        11月1日,天津公民大会边守靖、卞荫昌等18700人联名致电,要求惩办“断送国土、罪不容诛”的夏诒霆等,“以做汉奸,而正国典” 。11月4日,北京政府被迫将他们免职。11月12日,法租界内法国电灯房、仪品公司、义善铁厂等,数百名中国工人开始罢工; 之后,法国雇用的中国厨师、佣人等也“全体告退” ; 许多中国人在法租界内开设的商店,以及居民,纷纷迁出。11月17日,法租界中的华人巡捕、侦探和消防队员,全体罢勤; 法汉学校(租界当局办的学校,今21中学)的学生,宣布罢课。许多工人组成罢工团,各界人士组成爱国团,开展了各种抗争活动。许多演员举行义演,募集罢工经费;民族资本家也慷慨解囊,对各项斗争活动进行赞助。商会宣布: “为援助罢工工人的生活费用,即使倾家荡产,亦不辞其责任。”许多商店拒卖法货,拒绝使用法国货币;许多持有法国货币的市民,拥向中法银行兑换,迫使这个银行倒闭。在全国许多地区、许多爱国团体、各界人士的支持、声援和资助下,这次斗争成为比天津教案(火烧望海楼教堂)和义和团运动,范围更加广泛、斗争水平更高、意义更大的一次反帝爱国运动。
        广大群众的斗争,使北京政府不敢应允法国的无理要求。法国在广大群众有理、有力的斗争面前,也狼狈不堪,不敢再强行吞并。这一事件从此拖了下来,一直到1931年 “九一八” 事变之后,日本对华北地区的侵略日益加紧,法国趁火打劫,才将老西开地区并入法租界。
        On the evening of October 20 in 1916,the FrenchConsulate in Tianjin sent policemen to occupy Laoxikai(the area around Xikai Catholic Church).They disarmedand detained nine Chinese policemen. The Tianjinpeople rose up to counterattack them and LaoxikaiEvent broke out.
        In the next morning after Laoxikai was occupiedby the French policemen,people from all walks of lifegathered in Trade and Commerce General Union andheld an assembly to appeal for territorial sovereignty andto denounce the evil evasion of the French policemen.After the assembly,they lined up for demonstration.Many people joined them. They went to the provincialoffice and the provincial council for petition.
        In the next day,the provincial parliament ofShuntian and Zhili held a special meeting to discuss theevent and they invited representatives that attempted tomaintain national sovereignty and national land to jointhe meeting. The meeting decided to send the officerWang Linge to the French Consulate for negotiation andto elect six parliament members to go to Beijing withtwo representatives to seek for support from the Beijinggovernment. The chief governor Zhu Jiabao and theofficer Wang Linge said that they would attempt theirutmost to maintain territorial and national sovereignty.
        On October 22,the provincial parliamenttelegraphed the State Department and claimed that theywould never accept the actions of the French Consulate.On October 23,more than 1000 people gathered inTianjin Trade and Commerce General Union and madethree decisions: to reject the French commodities,rejectthe French money and to dismiss the envoys of Francein China. On October 25,more than 8000 people fromall walks of life gathered in Great Arena in the southpart of Tianjin (Nanshi) and founded Tianjin People`sAssembly. They notified the nation by telegraphs of sixmeasures to stop trade with France. On October 28,theVice Foreign Minister of Beiyang government Xia Yitingcame to Tianjin for investigation. On October 29,severalthousands of people went to the government officeand asked Xia Yiting for negotiation results. Xia saidthat it was after the permission of the government thatLaoxikai became part of the French concession. Xia toldthe people not to object to the government`s decision,and that they were acting stupidly. Greatly irritated,thepeople beat Xia Yiting and destroyed some houses of thegovernment`s office. Xia Yiting and Wang Linge fled in arush.
        On November 1,more than 18700 people of TianjinPeople`s Assembly including Bian Shoujing and BianYichang signed jointly to request punishing those who"had ruined our national land and even death cannotatone for the evil actions" such as Xia Yiting so as towarn the alike and to justify the nation sovereignty. OnNovember 4,Beijing government had to dismiss themfrom their positions. On November 12,several hundredsof workers from French Lamp Plant,Gift Companyand Yishan Steel Factory etc. in the French concessionstarted a strike. Then Chinese cooks and servants hiredby the French all asked for leave. Chinese shops andhabitants moved out from the French concession. OnNovember 17,Chinese policemen,detectives andfiremen in the French concession also held a strike.Students in Sino-France School (the school foundedby the French concession authorities,now the 21stMiddle School) were also on strike. Workers unitedinto strike groups and people from all walks of lifefounded patriotic unions in many forms. Actors held no-benefit performance to collect funds for strikes. Nationalcapitalists sponsored various kinds of protest activities.
        The Trade and Commerce Union declared thatthey would try their utmost to support workers on strikeeven if they had to go bankrupt. Many shops refusedto sell French merchandise and to use French money.There were so many citizens going to Sino-FranceBank to change their French money that this bank wentbankrupt very quickly. Under the support from all walksof life in many areas,the protest became a patriotic anti-imperialist movement with broader involvement andmore meanings.
        Because of the protest of the public,the Beijinggovernment did not dare to consent to the request ofthe French Consulate which also did not dare to occupyLaoxikai as its concession by force. However,after theSeptember 18th Event in 1931,as Japan was pressingon with its invasion of China,France utilized thisopportunity to occupy Laoxikai as its concession.

        

·西开教堂