Research on the Social Stratification of Urban Society in China during the Late Qing and Early Republican Period (1897~1927)

Author: Li Mingwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: During the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, the social structure of urban groups in China underwent significant changes. New social groups emerged outside the traditional social structure, such as compradors, entrepreneurs, clerks, educators, freelancers, workers, and urban poor; the status and identities of existing groups in the traditional social structure, such as officials, artisans, and merchants, also changed greatly. According to sociological conventions, this book divides urban groups in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China into eight strata: the official class, comprador class, entrepreneur class, urban intellectual class, urban middle-class, lower urban class, worker class, and poor class. It explores the concrete images and characteristics of each urban stratum, depicting a colorful picture of urban social life in China from 1897 to 1927.