Abstract: Foreign research on the history of Modern China’s railway began at the end of 19th century. It has experienced a process of “start-development-dormancy-recovery”. The research includes the development course of modern railways, the central issues related to the railway and the elements of railway system. Compared with the domestic esearch, the overseas research has its own uniqueness in terms of the researchers’ identities, research purposes, research fields, research methods, research materials, etc. Especially, due to different perspectives, there

are also differences in the focus and views of key issues.

Key Words: Overseas research; Modern China; Railway history; Railway and sovereignty