Nation, Governance, and Modernity in China: Canton, 1900-1927

288 Pages·2002·65.677 MB·English

by  Michael Tsin

Nation,
Governance,
and Modernity in China:
Canton, I900-I927
Studies oft he East Asian Institute, Columbia University
The East Asian Institute is Columbia University's center for
research, publication, and teaching on modern East Asia.
The Studies of the East Asian Institute were inaugurated
in 1962 to bring to a wider public the results of significant
new research on Japan, China, and Korea.
Nation,
Governance,
and Modernity in China:
Canton,
1900-1927
Michael Tsin
STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
STANFORD, CALIFORNIA
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
© 1999 by the Board ofTrustees of the
Leland Stanford Junior University
Photographs courtesy of the Hoover Institution,
Stanford, California
Printed in the United States of America
CIP data appear at the end of the book
To Judith and in memory of my mother, Lau Tak-kit

Contents
Introduction: Social Unity and Modern Governance 3
The Advent ofS ociety, 5; Canton as a Case Study, 9:
The Logic ofM odern Governance, I3
I. In the Name of Society I6
The Making ofN ineteenth-Century Canton, I9; The
Nine Charitable Halls, 24; In Search ofS ociety, 29;
The Politics ofS ocial Representation, 33; The Limits
ofC hange Under the Old Regime, 38; The Collapse of
the Qing, 42
2. Toward Modernity 51
Political Landscape, 55; Reordering Canton, 57; The
Promise ofI ndustry, 65; Reorganizing Workers, 72
3· The Contested Nation
Merchants and the Modernist Project, 88; Fiscal
Management and Governance, 94; For the Sake of
Modernization, 98; The Merchant Corps Incident,
I03; Discipline and National Community, no
4· Privileging Labor 1I5
The Rickshaw Pullers and the May Day Riot, I20;
The Oil-Processing Workers and the Machinists, I26;
The Railroad Workers, I33; Whither Labor
Movement, I39
5· The Riddle of Mobilization 143
The Politics ofM obilization, 146; Contesting the
Government, 157; Managing the Ranks, 160;
Suppressing the Mobilized, 163; Society in Limbo,
168; The Unfinished Project, 173
Epilogue 177
Character List
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Research for this book started in Princeton, where Marius Jansen afforded
me both intellectual space and unfailing support to conduct my work.
Encouragement from the other members of my dissertation committee-the
late C. Martin Wilbur, Gilbert Rozman, and Arthur Waldron-gave me the
confidence to pursue the project further. I owe a special debt, however, to
Joseph Esherick, who over the years has generously donated his time and en
ergy as reader and critic of my work, and kept me on course with his insight
and guidance.
Had I not met Daniel Kwan in London, my initial research in the PRC
would have suffered from a lot more blunders and obstacles. Dr. John Wong
of the University of Sydney also kindly provided letters of introduction. In
the PRC, the hospitality of Huang Yan, Ye Xian' en, Qiu Jie, and Ni Junming
ensured that I not only got some work done, but also had a chance to learn
about contemporary Guangzhou and its people. Financial support from the
Program in East Asian Studies and the department of history at Princeton as
well as the Councils for Research in the Humanities and the Social Sciences
at Columbia made my research trips possible. Photographs in this book ap
pear by courtesy of the Hoover Institution.
Professors Prasenjit Duara, John Fitzgerald, and R. Bin Wong read the
manuscript in the last stages of the revision, and I am very grateful for their
helpful comments and suggestions. My intellectual debt to the pioneering
works of Arif Dirlik and Martin Wilbur should be obvious to every student
of Chinese history. In the last several years I have been fortunate to be in the
company of a stimulating and diverse group of scholars and students at
Columbia. Andy Nathan has been the exemplary senior colleague. He also
graciously took on the task of critiquing an earlier draft on short notice.
Matti Zelin offers wise counsel, and Haruo Shirane has been generous with
both his time and advice. The many students who passed through my classes
have taught me more than they probably realized. Timely assistance in
preparing the manuscript came from Rebecca Nedostup. At Stanford
University Press, Muriel Bell and Stacey Lynn ensured a smooth publication
process, and Holly Caldwell was meticulous in her editing.
This work has been subjected to Judith's critical scrutiny since its incep
tion, but her role goes far beyond that. Without my family, all of this would
have simply been impossible.
M.T.