A Century of Turmoil (A Chronicle of the History of Chinese National Industry and Commerce)

Author: Hu Zhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: A difficult and winding development process that provokes deep reflection; a vivid portrayal of the real struggles in commercial warfare, intense and dynamic; the of individual business elites, vivid and lifelike; a series of long-forgotten historical photographs, invaluable. The Chinese national industry and commerce have gone through a century of history, enduring vicissitudes and hardships. Nurtured and sprouted amidst the strong ships and powerful guns of imperialism; grown with difficulty under the dark rule of feudalism; ushered into a glorious period of development with the sound of the Xinhai Revolution; nearly collapsing under the "control" of Japanese invaders; and truly reborn within the embrace of the People's Republic of China. The emergence and development of every new thing are not smooth sailing; it is precisely through hardship that it has tempered its resilient will and shaped its strong life, effectively promoting the development of the national economy and social progress, making an indelible contribution to advancing the course of Chinese history.
"Speaking of light industry, one cannot forget Zhang Qian; speaking of heavy industry, one cannot forget Zhang Zhidong; speaking of chemistry, one cannot forget Fan Xudong; speaking of transportation and communications, one cannot forget Lu Zuofu." — Mao Zedong
"China does not have a red bourgeoisie, but it does have red capitalists." — Zhou Enlai
"Private capitalist economy in China represents advanced productive forces, possessing revolutionary and progressive characteristics. Transforming China from an agrarian nation into an industrial one, and turning consumer cities into production cities, the national bourgeoisie plays a significant role." — Liu Shaoqi
The Centennial Vicissitudes—A Chronicle of Chinese National Industry and Commerce takes the four major stages of the development of Chinese national industry and commerce as its main thread, selecting representative figures from each developmental period to profoundly depict the winding journey of Chinese national industry and commerce from its birth to its growth. The of the Opium War marked the beginning of modern Chinese history and also sounded the clarion call for the development of Chinese national industry and commerce. The advanced production technologies and business concepts of the West brought unprecedented changes to China's economy and society. From state-run enterprises to state-supervised commercial enterprises and finally to independent operation by private capital, Chinese national industry and commerce finally broke free from its cocoon. The defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 made "saving the nation through industry" the theme of the era. The late Qing "New Policies," the Russo-Japanese War, the Xinhai Revolution, and the subsequent World War I provided China's national economy with a relatively environment and opportunities for development, allowing Chinese national industry and commerce to grow from a flicker into a blaze.
During its growth, Chinese national industry and commerce underwent major events such as the establishment of the Nanjing government, the occupation of Manchuria, the global economic crisis, the decade-long civil war, the War of Resistance against Japan, and the War of Liberation. There were both peaks and troughs, and it experienced a complex and winding process of difficult development. The founding of the People's Republic of China brought true hope and a dawn of development to Chinese society. Along with the establishment of the new socialist system, Chinese national industry and commerce, supported and protected by the Party and government, rapidly developed. It eventually transformed from national capital-owned industry and commerce into state-private joint enterprises with socialist characteristics, making positive and significant contributions to consolidating and developing the national economy.