Our systems are now restored following recent technical disruption, and we’re working hard to catch up on publishing. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Find out more

Recommended product

Popular links

Popular links


Chinese Professionals and the Republican State

Chinese Professionals and the Republican State

Chinese Professionals and the Republican State

The Rise of Professional Associations in Shanghai, 1912–1937
Xiaoqun Xu , Francis Marion University, South Carolina
November 2006
Paperback
9780521027892

Looking for an inspection copy?

This title is not currently available for inspection. However, if you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an inspection copy. To register your interest please contact asiamktg@cambridge.org providing details of the course you are teaching.

    Xiaoqun Xu makes a compelling and original contribution to the study of China's modernization with this book on the rise of professional associations in Republican China in their birthplace of Shanghai, and of their political and socio-cultural milieu. This 2001 book is rich in detail about the key professional and political figures and organizations in Shanghai, filling an important gap in its social history. The professional associations were, as the author writes, 'unambiguously urban and modern in their origins and functions … representing a new breed of educated Chinese' and they pioneered a new type of relationship with the state. Xu addresses a central issue in China studies, the relationship between state and society, and proposes an alternative to the Western-derived concept of civil society. This book illuminates the complexity of modernization and nationalism in twentieth-century China, and provides a concrete case for comparative studies of professionalization and class formation across cultures.

    • Fresh data and perspectives for comparative studies on larger issues, based on rare primary sources
    • It will be one of the essential readings on modern Chinese history
    • Book offers an alternative contruction to the concept of civil society in analysing the interactive state-society relationship in Republican China

    Reviews & endorsements

    '… interesting and evocative of the atmosphere of the times … this is an exhaustive study …' History

    See more reviews

    Product details

    January 2005
    Adobe eBook Reader
    9780511034879
    0 pages
    0kg
    4 tables
    This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.

    Table of Contents

    • List of tables
    • Acknowledgments
    • Abbreviations of frequently cited sources
    • Introduction
    • Part I. Professions and Professionals:
    • 1. Professions in early-twentieth-century Shanghai
    • 2. Professionals as urban middle class
    • Conclusion to part I
    • Part II. Social Institutions, State Actions, and Professionalization:
    • 3. The Republican State and urban associations
    • 4. The Republican State and the legal profession
    • 5. The Republican State and the medical profession
    • Conclusion to part II
    • Part III. Professionalism, Nationalism, and Politics:
    • 6. From 'literary men' to professionals: Shanghai journalists
    • 7. National essence versus science: the medical profession in conflict
    • 8. Professionalism and nationalism: the Shanghai Bar Association (I)
    • 9. Professionalism and politics: the Shanghai Bar Association (II)
    • Conclusion to part III
    • Conclusion
    • Glossary
    • Bibliography
    • Index.
      Author
    • Xiaoqun Xu , Francis Marion University, South Carolina