·西開教堂

咸豐十一年(1861)四月二十四日，法國繼英國之后，在天津劃定租界。法租界之東、北，均臨海河； 西至海大道(今大沽路)以東的巴黎路(今吉林路附近) ; 東南接英租界，面積約360畝。但法租界當(dāng)局不滿足于此，一直謀求租界擴(kuò)張。第一次擴(kuò)張，是通過越界筑路，蠶食海大道東北和西南地段。第二次擴(kuò)張，擴(kuò)張后的所謂“擴(kuò)充界”約2000畝。第三次擴(kuò)張，是民國前后，租界當(dāng)局指使天主教會，在老西開大量購買土地； 接著，從1913年開始，又在墻子河西岸建造主教府、教堂及醫(yī)院、學(xué)校等。
1916年夏，西開教堂工程竣工后，于當(dāng)年10月20日晚，法國駐津領(lǐng)事指使巡捕，悍然派兵侵占老西開(今西開天主教堂周圍地區(qū)),將9名中國警察繳械拘留，天津廣大群眾奮起抗?fàn)?，爆發(fā)了 “老西開事件” 。
老西開被法國巡捕占領(lǐng)的翌日晨，各界千余名群眾在商務(wù)總會集會，召開“維持國權(quán)國土大會” ,憤怒譴責(zé)法國侵略者的罪行，會后列隊游行，沿路群眾踴躍參加，隊伍先后到省公署、省議會，進(jìn)行請愿。是日，順直省議會舉行特別會議討論，邀請維持國權(quán)國土?xí)砼月牎h議決，速請直隸交涉員王麟閣到法國領(lǐng)事署交涉； 推舉議員6人，協(xié)同維持國權(quán)國土?xí)?人，即赴京面陳北京政府。省長朱家寶、交涉員王麟閣，接見請愿代表時表示： “一定要維護(hù)主權(quán)?！?br>10月22日，省議會致電國務(wù)院，聲明誓不承認(rèn)法國強(qiáng)盜行徑。10月23日，天津商務(wù)總會千余人集會，做出3項決議： 抵制法貨、抵制法國貨幣、撤換法國駐華使節(jié)。10月25日，各界群眾8000多人集會，在南市大舞臺成立“天津公民大會” ,并通電全國各地，提出“與法國斷絕貿(mào)易關(guān)系”等6項措施。10月28日，北洋政府外交次長夏詒霆到天津“調(diào)查” ; 10月29日，幾千名群眾到交涉員公署，要求夏詒霆報告交涉結(jié)果。夏說： “把老西開開辟為法租界是經(jīng)過政府允許的，你們不要再反對?！辈⒊庳?zé)群眾“胡鬧” ,從而激起群眾的憤怒，痛打了夏詒霆，搗毀了交涉員公署的部分房屋。夏詒霆、王麟閣倉皇越墻而逃。
11月1日，天津公民大會邊守靖、卞蔭昌等18700人聯(lián)名致電，要求懲辦“斷送國土、罪不容誅”的夏詒霆等，“以做漢奸，而正國典” 。11月4日，北京政府被迫將他們免職。11月12日，法租界內(nèi)法國電燈房、儀品公司、義善鐵廠等，數(shù)百名中國工人開始罷工； 之后，法國雇用的中國廚師、傭人等也“全體告退” ; 許多中國人在法租界內(nèi)開設(shè)的商店，以及居民，紛紛遷出。11月17日，法租界中的華人巡捕、偵探和消防隊員，全體罷勤； 法漢學(xué)校(租界當(dāng)局辦的學(xué)校，今21中學(xué))的學(xué)生，宣布罷課。許多工人組成罷工團(tuán)，各界人士組成愛國團(tuán)，開展了各種抗?fàn)幓顒?。許多演員舉行義演，募集罷工經(jīng)費(fèi)；民族資本家也慷慨解囊，對各項斗爭活動進(jìn)行贊助。商會宣布： “為援助罷工工人的生活費(fèi)用，即使傾家蕩產(chǎn)，亦不辭其責(zé)任?！痹S多商店拒賣法貨，拒絕使用法國貨幣；許多持有法國貨幣的市民，擁向中法銀行兌換，迫使這個銀行倒閉。在全國許多地區(qū)、許多愛國團(tuán)體、各界人士的支持、聲援和資助下，這次斗爭成為比天津教案(火燒望海樓教堂)和義和團(tuán)運(yùn)動，范圍更加廣泛、斗爭水平更高、意義更大的一次反帝愛國運(yùn)動。
廣大群眾的斗爭，使北京政府不敢應(yīng)允法國的無理要求。法國在廣大群眾有理、有力的斗爭面前，也狼狽不堪，不敢再強(qiáng)行吞并。這一事件從此拖了下來，一直到1931年 “九一八” 事變之后，日本對華北地區(qū)的侵略日益加緊，法國趁火打劫，才將老西開地區(qū)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.

·西開教堂