IHSS | Chinese Business History Resources

Table of Contents, Vols 1 – 15 (1990 – 2005)

Chinese Business History (中國商業歷史) was the newsletter published by the Chinese Business History Research Group between 1990 and 2005. It mainly contains short research articles, book reviews, reports on archives and conferences and reflections on the development of the field and represents an important source for understanding the development of historical research on Chinese business history. With the help and permission of Prof. Andrea McElderry (University of Louisville), the former editor of the newsletter, the Institute obtained copies of the newsletter and has made these available online for the first time.

Vol. 1, No. 1 (November 1990)

Richard Lufrano, “New PRC Interpretations of the Merchant Class.”
Wellington K. K. Chan, “China and the World: A Conference Report”
Forum: Sherman Cochran on possible future avenues for the field of Chinese business history
M.B. Kwan, “Sources for Business History in Beijing and Tianjin.”

Vol. 1, No. 2 (April 1991)

David Faure, “A Note on the Lineage in Business.”
Jane Kate Leonard, Conferences: “The Qing State and the Economy.”
Parks M. Coble, Sources: “Business History Research in Shanghai.”

Vol. 2, No. 1 (November 1991)

Hsu Tzu-fen, “Traditional Chinese Bookkeeping Methodology.”
Robert Gardella, “Report 1991 AAS Roundtable: Prospects for Research in Chinese Business History.”
Winston Hsieh, Sources: “Voices of the Chinese Business Elite.”

Vol. 2, No. 2 (March 1992)

Louis T. Sigel, “Transaction Cost Economics and Chinese Business History.”
Madeleine Zelin, Conferences: “Civil Law in Chinese History.”
Takeshi Hamashita, Interpretations: “Re-examining Modernization in Asia.”

Vol. 3, No. 1 (November 1992)

Joseph Bosco, “The Role of Culture in Taiwanese Family Enterprises.”
Jane Kaufman Winn, “Law and the Underground Economy in Taiwan.”
C. Fok, Sources: “Private Hong Kong Documents and the Study of Chinese Business History.”
Panel Reports

Vol. 3, No. 2 (April 1993)

Ma Qi, “Qing Policy and U.S. Chinatowns.”
Chen Zengnian, Interpretations: “Shanghai Finance: an Integrated Approach.”
Paul Hyer, A Research Note: “Merchants on the China-Mongolia Frontier.”

Vol. 4, No. 1 (Fall 1993)

Michael R. Godley, “Nanyang Perspectives on Chinese Business.”
“Combining Business History and Cultural Studies.”
Conferences
Archives: “Chinese Business History Resource Center” (Zhongguo qiye shi ziliao zhongxin); “Willard Straight Papers at Cornell University.”

Vol. 4, No. 2 (Spring 1994)

Xiaobo Zhang, “A Treasury for Chinese Business Historians: the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce Archives.”
Raj Brown, “Perspectives on Chinese Business Development in South East Asia, 1830 – 1990.”
Andrea McElderry reviews Blood, Sweat, and Mahjong: Family and Enterprise in an Overseas Chinese Community, by Ellen Oxfield.

Vol. 5, No. 1 (Fall 1994)

Xiaobo Zhang, “A Treasury for Chinese Business Historians: the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce Archives.”
Raj Brown, “Perspectives on Chinese Business Development in South East Asia, 1830 – 1990.”
Andrea McElderry reviews Blood, Sweat, and Mahjong: Family and Enterprise in an Overseas Chinese Community, by Ellen Oxfield.

Vol. 5, No. 2 (Spring/Fall 1995) (Double Issue on Archival Research)

Ch’i-kong Lai, “Nanjing: Second Historical Archives”
Elisabeth Köll, “Nantong: Archives, Libraries, Museums.”
Kai-yiu Chan, “Shanghai: Chinese Business History Research Center.”
Andrea McElderry, “Shanghai Municipal Archive, SASS Libraries.”
Brett Sheehan, “Tianjin: Archives and Libraries.”
Andrea McElderry, “Taipei: Resources.”

Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring 1996)

Sherman Cochran, Letter to the Editors
David Pietz, Conference Report: “In the Spirit of Zhang Jian: The Second International Symposium on Zhang Jian.”
Andrea McElderry, Conference Report: “Time and Space: Periodizing Chinese Business.”

Vol. 6, No. 2 (Fall 1996)

Emily M. Hill, “Conversations between Historians and Economists: Report: Economic History Association.”
Ray Bowen II, “Families, Firms, and Ancestors: The Effect of Government Behavior and Property Rights on China’s Businesses and Economic Development.”
Wellington K. K. Chan, Conference Report: “The Rise of Corporations in China from Ming to Present.”

Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 1997)

Ian Skoggard, “Property, Religion and Commerce on the Chinese Frontier.”
Jack Downs, “American and British Business Records.”

Vol. 7, No. 2 (Fall 1997)

Only a short note is published

Vol. 8, No. 1 (Spring 1998)

Linan Bian, “The Shaping of New Institutional Patterns Of State Enterprise in China 1935 – 1945
Tim Wright, Conference Report: “Business in Shanghai: Past and Present”
Kimberley Elizabeth Lays, Conference Report: “Business Contracts in Chinese Economic Culture.”

Vol. 8, No. 2 (Fall 1998)

Aron Shai, “The Fate of Foreign Firms in China in the 1950s”
Tan Ern-Ser and Yeo Pei-Lin, Conference Report: “Asian Business Networks.”
Denise Austin, Conference Report: “Chinese Business Networks.”

Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring 1999)

Zhang Jin, “Chongqing Municipal Archives Republican Business Records”
Brett Sheehan, Conference Report: “International Symposium on The Chamber of Commerce and Modern China.”
Kelvin K. Chow, Conference Report: “Second Chinese Business History Conference.”

Vol. 9, No. 2 (Fall 1999)

Christopher A. Reed, “Reaching New Audiences: One Purpose of Revision and Discovery”
Terry McGee, Conference Report: “A Report on the Second Bamboo Network Seminar: Challenges to the Chinese Overseas in an Era of Financial Vulnerability in the Asia Pacific Region.”
Brett Sheehan, Conference Report: “’Shocks!’ The 59th Annual Meeting of the Economic History Association.”

Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring 2000)

Elisabeth Köll, “Recent Debates in the Field of Business History: What They Mean for China Historians.”
Gilles Guiheux, “ A Sociological History of Contemporary Big Business in Taiwan.”
Kirk Larsen, “Seizing the Opportunities: Chinese Merchants In Korea, 1876 – 1910.”
Robert Gardella, Conference Report: “Maritime China and the Overseas Chinese in Transition, 1750 – 1850.”
Parks M. Coble, Panel Report: “Capitalism with Socialist Characteristics: China’s Wartime Economies in Transition.

Vol. 10, No. 2 (Fall 2000)

Ng Chin-keong, Clement Liew, Keng We Koh and Tongbao Wee, “A Brief Note on Prewar Singapore Sources Relating to Chinese Business History.”
Stephanie Po-yin Chung, “Research Note: The Eu Yan Sang Medical Shop.”
Denise Austin, Conference Report: “International Workshop: Industrial Relations in East Asia.”
Leo Douw, “The Qiaoxiang Ties Program.”

Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring 2001)

Lisa A. Keister, “Friend or Foe? Business Groups during China’s Transition.”
Chih-Lung Li, “Modem Chinese Economy from the Perspective of Shipping Archives in the UK.”
Mark W. Frazier, “Managing Labor, Managing Change: The Study of Shop-Floor Institutions in Chinese Factories Before and After 1949.”
Tomoko Shiroyama, Conference Report: “Report of the Third International Conference on Chinese Business History: Chinese Merchants, Chambers of Commerce, and Business Networks.”

Vol. 11, No. 2 (Fall 2001)

Gregory Lewis, “Bridging the Guomindang-Chinese Communist Party: Ji Chaoding in New York, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Beijing, 1933 – 1963.”
Catherine R. Schenck, “The Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Group Archive, London.”
Elisabeth Köll reviews Encountering Chinese Networks: Western, Japanese, and Chinese Corporations in China, 1880 – 1937, by Sherman Cochran.
Kristin Stapleton reviews The Salt Merchants of Tianjin: State Making and Civil Society in Late Imperial China, by Kwan Man Bun.

Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 2002)

Scott Levi, “Hindu Money Lenders in Chinese Turkestan in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries.”
Song Meiyun, Conference Report: “Report on The Second International Conference on Modem China (1840 – 1949) and the World.”
Andrea McElderry, Panel Report: “Can Capitalists Serve the People and the Nation? The Party-State and Private Enterprise in the 20th Century.”
Marilyn Slaughter, “Debating Globalization: Who’s Winning the Social Battle for China’s Migrant Women Factory Workers.”
Morris L. Bian reviews State and Economy in Republican China: A Handbook for Scholars, edited by William C. Kirby, Man-houng Lin, James Chin Shih, and David A. Pietz.

Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 2002)

Yasutomi Ayumu, “County Currencies and the Manchurian Incident.”
Joshua A. Fogel: “An Important Japanese Source for Chinese Business History.”
Kai Yiu Chan, “Research Note: The Collection of Japanese Materials at the Oita University’s Research Support Office.”
Cheng Linsun, “A Treasury for the Study of Chinese Business History: The Microfilming Project for the Shanghai Business Archive.”
Tsai Wenpin: “Personal Savings Accounts and Individual Autonomy in Shanghai before 1937.”

Vol. 13, No. 1 (Spring 2003)

Cheng Linsun, “Symposium Review: Enterprise Institutions, Economic Environment, and Urban Economic Relations.”
David Pong: Book Review of Mark W. Frazier, The Making of the Chinese Industrial Work place: State, Revolution, and Labor Management.
Marilyn M. Slaughter, “Women, Literacy, and Economic Opportunity in the People’s Republic.”

Vol. 13, No. 2 (Fall 2003)

Shannon R. Brown, “A Rip van Winkle Perspective on Chinese Economic and Business History.”
Parks M. Coble: Book Review of Cheng Hwei-shing: From Private Investment Company to State Enterprise: The Development and Operation of the China Development Finance Corporation.
Robert Gardella: Book Review of Parks M. Coble, Chinese Capitalists in Japan s New Order: The Occupied Lower Yangzi, 1937 – 1945.
Georgia Mickey, Book Review of Cheng Linsun: Banking in Modern China: Entrepreneurs, Professional Managers, and the Development of Chinese Banks, 1897 – 1937.

Vol. 14, No. 1 (Spring 2004)

Brett Sheehan, “The History of Chinese Money and Banking: A Mini Explosion.”
Daniel Meissner, “Casting Bread Upon the Waters: Researching China’s Industrial Response to the Global Flour Trade, 1880 – 1910.”
Kristin Stapleton, Book Review of Brett Sheehan, Trust in Troubles Times: Money, Banks and State-Society Relations in Republican Tianjin.
Andrea McElderry, Panel Report: “Beyond Market and Hierarchy: Cartels and Network Capitalism in Republican China.”

Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2004)

Erica Batalla, “Japan’s Economic Expansion and Interactions with the Chinese in Philippine Commerce Prior to World War II.”
Loh Wei Leng, “Researching Business Networks and Firms in Malaysia”
Michael J. Montesano, “The Study of Modern Thai Business History: Issues and Resources.”
Peter Post, “The Study of Chinese Business in the Modern History of Indonesia: Themes and Prospects.”

Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2005)

Erica Batalla, “Japan’s Economic Expansion and Interactions with the Chinese in Philippine Commerce Prior to World War II.”
Loh Wei Leng, “Researching Business Networks and Firms in Malaysia”
Michael J. Montesano, “The Study of Modern Thai Business History: Issues and Resources.”
Peter Post, “The Study of Chinese Business in the Modern History of Indonesia: Themes and Prospects.”

Vol. 15, No. 2 (Spring 2005)

Yoshiki Enatsu, “The Role of Private Companies in the Expansion of Japan’s Interests in Manchuria in the 1920s: The Case of the Toa Kangyo Company (Toa kangyo kabushiki kaisha).”
Thomas R. Gottschang, “Free Banking and Currency Competition in Early Twentieth Century Manchuria.”
Patrick Fuliang Shan, “A City That Emerged from the Northern Wilderness: Business and Harbin, 1898 – 1931.”

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