China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company: Selections from the Shen Xuanhuai Archives, Volume Eight

Author: Chen Xulu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: The China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company was the first "officially managed and commercially operated" enterprise established by the Self-Strengthening Movement under the slogans of self-strengthening and seeking wealth, following the establishment of private military industries. It was also the longest-lasting economic entity among the Self-Strengthening Movement enterprises. It was a product of specific historical conditions in China in the late 19th century. As an early capitalist enterprise directly controlled by the bureaucracy, it was a deformed fetus combining feudalism and capitalism. This book compiles 1,305 precious original documents, including memorials, letters, reports, contracts with foreign merchants, business statistics, and telegrams exchanged from 1892 to January 1916, covering the winding development of Chinese national capital both internally and externally within the China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company. It reflects, from one perspective, the historical trajectory of modern China. The China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company is not only an academic work but also provides historical references and valuable lessons for the development of modern Chinese national enterprises.