Seminar: Christian HENRIOT
31 DECEMBER 24
IMH-EFEO Talk
Speaker:
Prof. Christian Henriot
Professor, Aix-Marseille University
Title:
A Tale of Three Merchants
Social Worlds, Political Networks and Public Sphere in Modern Shanghai
Date:
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 10:00 am
Venue:
Conference Room 2, Archive Building, Institute of Modern History
Academia Sinica
Abstract:
This project examines the parallel yet interconnected trajectories of three prominent Zhejiang-born Shanghai merchants and businessmen—Zhu Baosan 朱葆三 (1848–1926), Yu Qiaqing 虞洽卿 (1867–1945), and Wang Xiaolai 王曉籟 (1886–1967)—to explore their rise from relative social obscurity to becoming central brokers in Shanghai society. Of the three, only Wang Xiaolai, who had passed the xiucai imperial examination and arrived in the city with some social capital, began his journey with notable advantages. Zhu and Yu, by contrast, started as shop apprentices or in low-level entrepreneurial ventures. All three went on to establish a network of companies spanning banking, trade, shipping, and industry, while building extensive connections within and beyond their original communities.This study investigates how these figures emerged in the public sphere, how their economic activities intersected with their involvement in social and political events, and how their public engagement, in turn, fueled their business careers and propelled them toward social and political success. Drawing on a combination of sources—including monographs, newspapers, and biographical dictionaries—this research employs computational methods, particularly text analysis and network analysis, to reconstruct the social and political worlds in which these merchants operated, to analyze the critical events in which they played key roles, and to connect their individual trajectories.
The talk will be chaired by Prof. Sun Hui-min, Associate Research Fellow,Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
The talk will be given in English. Registration is not required.
lecture
Speaker:
Prof. Christian Henriot
Professor, Aix-Marseille University
Title:
A Tale of Three Merchants
Social Worlds, Political Networks and Public Sphere in Modern Shanghai
Date:
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 10:00 am
Venue:
Conference Room 2, Archive Building, Institute of Modern History
Academia Sinica
Abstract:
This project examines the parallel yet interconnected trajectories of three prominent Zhejiang-born Shanghai merchants and businessmen—Zhu Baosan 朱葆三 (1848–1926), Yu Qiaqing 虞洽卿 (1867–1945), and Wang Xiaolai 王曉籟 (1886–1967)—to explore their rise from relative social obscurity to becoming central brokers in Shanghai society. Of the three, only Wang Xiaolai, who had passed the xiucai imperial examination and arrived in the city with some social capital, began his journey with notable advantages. Zhu and Yu, by contrast, started as shop apprentices or in low-level entrepreneurial ventures. All three went on to establish a network of companies spanning banking, trade, shipping, and industry, while building extensive connections within and beyond their original communities.This study investigates how these figures emerged in the public sphere, how their economic activities intersected with their involvement in social and political events, and how their public engagement, in turn, fueled their business careers and propelled them toward social and political success. Drawing on a combination of sources—including monographs, newspapers, and biographical dictionaries—this research employs computational methods, particularly text analysis and network analysis, to reconstruct the social and political worlds in which these merchants operated, to analyze the critical events in which they played key roles, and to connect their individual trajectories.
The talk will be chaired by Prof. Sun Hui-min, Associate Research Fellow,Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
The talk will be given in English. Registration is not required.
lecture