Industrial Eden

Industrial Eden
Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Total Pages : 338
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780674287181
ISBN-13 : 0674287185
Rating : 4/5 (81 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Industrial Eden by : Brett Sheehan

Download or read book Industrial Eden written by Brett Sheehan and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2015-04-09 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illuminating study of the evolution of Chinese capitalism chronicles the fortunes of the Song family of North China under five successive authoritarian governments. Headed initially by Song Chuandian, who became rich by exporting hairnets to Europe and America in the early twentieth century, the family built a thriving business against long odds of rural poverty and political chaos. A savvy political operator, Song Chuandian prospered and kept local warlords at bay, but his career ended badly when he fell afoul of the new Nationalist government. His son Song Feiqing—inspired by the reformist currents of the May Fourth Movement—developed a utopian capitalist vision that industry would redeem China from foreign imperialism and cultural backwardness. He founded the Dongya Corporation in 1932 to manufacture wool knitting yarn and for two decades steered the company through a constantly changing political landscape—the Nationalists, then Japanese occupiers, then the Nationalists again, and finally Chinese Communists. Increasingly hostile governments, combined with inflation, foreign competition, and a restless labor force, thwarted his ambition to create an “Industrial Eden.” Brett Sheehan shows how the Song family engaged in eclectic business practices that bore the imprint of both foreign and traditional Chinese influences. Businesspeople came to expect much from increasingly intrusive states, but the position of private capitalists remained tenuous no matter which government was in control. Although private business in China was closely linked to the state, it was neither a handmaiden to authoritarianism nor a natural ally of democracy.


Industrial Eden Related Books

Industrial Eden
Language: en
Pages: 338
Authors: Brett Sheehan
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-04-09 - Publisher: Harvard University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This illuminating study of the evolution of Chinese capitalism chronicles the fortunes of the Song family of North China under five successive authoritarian gov
Irrigated Eden
Language: en
Pages: 363
Authors: Mark Fiege
Categories: Technology & Engineering
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-11-23 - Publisher: University of Washington Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Irrigation came to the arid West in a wave of optimism about the power of water to make the desert bloom. Mark Fiege’s fascinating and innovative study of irr
Industrial Vermont
Language: en
Pages: 312
Authors: Vermont. Office of Secretary of State
Categories: Industries
Type: BOOK - Published: 1914 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Industrial World
Language: en
Pages: 976
Authors:
Categories: Industrial arts
Type: BOOK - Published: 1901 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Low-flow Characteristics and Profiles for Selected Streams in the Roanoke River Basin, North Carolina
Language: en
Pages: 72
Authors: J. Curtis Weaver
Categories: Stream measurements
Type: BOOK - Published: 1996 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK