Book Manuscript
Webs of Power: Three Governors and the Networking of Political Resources, 1900-1915
This project adopts a network approach to explore the management of the Chinese empire during its transition to a nation. Specifically, I focus on the period from 1900 to 1915, the closing years of the last imperial dynasty and the beginning of the Chinese Republic. Individual human connections stand at the pivot between pure ideas and their implementation, and three governors (Duanfang, Zhang Zhidong, and Yuan Shikai) emerged as the master networkers. They used telegrams, official posts, fame, and antiques to command the political economy of the reform era. They made hard decisions on what to prioritize and what to give up in a welter of bloody ethnic conflicts and financial woes. Their risky fiscal experiments in three provinces escalated into a national trend and inadvertently accelerated the collapse of the Qing dynasty; but the elements of their original plan continued to permeate 20th century China, despite the rise and fall of various regimes.
Book in Progress
Sovereignty and Solvency: China's Three Defaults of Foreign Loans, 1900-1949
There is a Chinese proverb: "repaying one's debts is the eternal principal of heaven and earth" (qianzhai huanqian, tianjing diyi). During the first half of the 20th century, China broke this principle in the most public manner. In the years 1921, 1939, and 1949, respectively, the Chinese government defaulted its accumulated foreign loans. This project examines the domestic context and international consequences of these three sovereign defaults. Were the various Chinese governments compelled to default the loans due to economic difficulties, or were they simply dodging responsibilities? How can we evaluate the role of foreign financial powers in China's debt crises?
Chapter Presented:
"Bonding with Foreigners in Late Qing China." March 26, Philadelphia. 2010 Annual Meeting, the Association for Asian Studies, Panel 30.
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Published Papers
"To Be Somebody: Li Qinglin, Run-of-the-Mill Cultural Revolution Showstopper." Chapter 8 in Joseph W. Esherick and Andrew G. Walder, eds., The Chinese Cultural Revolution as History (Stanford University Press, 2006), pp. 211-239.
On April 25, 1973, Chairman Mao Zedong sent the whopping sum of 300 yuan out of his own pocket to a humble primary school teacher in Fujian province. Attached to this considerable sum of money was the only known letter Mao himself wrote to an ordinary citizen during the ten years of the Cultural Revolution. Mao's pithy note, beginning with the words "Comrade Li Qinglin", was circulated nationwide and memorized by an entire generation of Chinese. To this day, most former sent-down youth can still recite the 30 characters verbatim. Thus, seemingly overnight, Li Qinglin was transformed from a nobody into a household name. In schools and work units across China, people must have been wondering the same thing: who in the world is Li Qinglin?
Figure: Li Qinglin (right) and Li Liangmo, his eldest son, August 12, 2003 (author photo)
"Reform is A Bonus: The Networking of Upper-Level Officials in the Last Decade of the Qing Dynasty." Chapter 8 in Sherman Cochran and Paul G. Pickowicz eds., China on the Margins during the Qing Dynasty, The Republic and the People's Republic (Cornell University Press, 2010), pp.163-195.
Toward the end of the Qing dynasty, governors and viceroys had concentrated the control of finance, personnel, law and the army in their hands and had made provincial treasurers and judges merely their subordinates. A quick look at biographical articles and books on them often reveals that a section on "reform" is almost a matter of course. However, was commitment to reform really a necessary credential for provincial officials? How central a part did reform play in their roles as governors, or in their ability to gain and keep office? To answer these questions, we should begin with the basic facts of political life and examine how a high official managed to hold his position in the first place.
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Finished Papers
"Living News: Xinwenbao and the Power of Commercial Newspaper in Republican China."
Did the power of the press really exist? What kind of role did Chinese newspapers play in the nation-building process? This paper examines the world of commercial newspapers in Shanghai through a case study of Xinwenbao, the most widely circulated newspaper in Republican China. A newspaper built up connections with its readers not only through its content but its operation. Here the story revolves around the brains behind Xinwenbao, who managed to find the balance between low price and rich information, the two major factors for newspaper circulation.
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