Shanghai Legend. Shadows of Civilizational Transformation (1553-1949)

Author: Luo Suwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Modern Shanghai is undoubtedly legendary. A century and a half ago, Shanghai was just an ordinary coastal town in the Chinese Empire, no different from other towns in the Jiangnan town network. But since then, Shanghai has become a symbol of modernization in China. Shanghai Legends is the crystallization of Professor Luo Suwen's years of reflection as a historian. With devout dedication, the author searches for and restores fragments of old Shanghai, striving to recreate memories buried by time and presenting readers with a unique historical tapestry filled with the vibrancy of urban life, from which one can feel the pulse of a hundred-year-old Shanghai. This book vividly narrates the legendary development of Shanghai from perspectives such as streets, water supply, electricity, fire protection, administration, justice, and public health. In the book, we can see how new scientific research was applied in modern Shanghai, how the system of taxpayer autonomy was formed in the Shanghai concessions, and how modern urban characteristics emerged in Shanghai. Every section of the book reflects the author's deep thinking and academic accumulation, avoiding clichés and offering fresh insights that are engaging and thought-provoking.