Shanghai Local Autonomy Research: 1905~1927

Author: Zhou Songqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: The local self-government of Shanghai from 1905 to 1927 was achieved against the backdrop of the integration of Eastern and Western cultures. The Western model of self-government was its pursuit, while the Eastern model served as the measure of its survival space. During its process, Shanghai's local self-government constantly faced the crisis of institutional alienation and was suppressed by state power. It survived in this dilemma. Despite its process, it had an undeniable and significant impact on local self-government in various parts of China at the time. The author employs theories and methods from multiple disciplines, relying on extensive original and reliable materials, making the research highly empirical. By reasonably applying logical and imaginative thinking, the author can thoroughly clarify relevant historical facts, reconstruct the historical process of Shanghai's local self-government, and draw historical conclusions that stand up to the test of historical materials and facts. The author argues that Shanghai's local self-government is a product of the conflict, integration, and interaction between Eastern and Western cultures, as well as between two models of self-government. The Western model of self-government was the goal pursued by Shanghai's local self-government, while the local model, to a large extent, became the measure of its autonomous space and a retreat when it suffered setbacks due to state power pressure. The author reveals that Shanghai's local self-government was established outside the state power structure, and the problem of institutional alienation was an obstacle to its reasonable development in modern Shanghai. This insight suggests how local self-government can become an indispensable part of the state power structure and foster benign interaction, which should be a new model of state-society relations to be established in the modernization process. It can be said that this is the essence and fundamental purpose of this book.