A Century of Turmoil - A Brief History of Chinese National Industry and Commerce

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Features: A difficult and winding development process that provokes deep reflection; a vivid portrayal of the fierce commercial struggles; the dynamic struggles of business elites; and precious historical photographs long kept in the dust. The Chinese national industrial and commercial sector has gone through a century of history, enduring vicissitudes and hardships. It sprouted amidst the of imperialism; grew arduously under the dark rule of feudalism; ushered in a glorious development with the sound of the Xinhai Revolution; and nearly perished under the "control" of Japanese invaders. In the embrace of the People's Republic of China, it truly experienced rebirth.
The emergence and development of every new thing are not smooth sailing. It is precisely through hardship that its tenacious will is tempered and its resilient life is shaped, effectively driving the development of the national economy and social progress, making an indelible contribution to advancing the history of China.
"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 communication, one cannot forget Lu Zuofu." — Mao Zedong
"China does not have a red bourgeoisie, but it does have red capitalists." — Zhou Enlai
"The private capitalist economy in China represents advanced productive forces, possessing revolutionary and progressive qualities. It played a vital role in transforming China from an agrarian nation into an industrial one, and from a consumer city into a production city. The national bourgeoisie was instrumental in this transformation." — Liu Shaoqi
The Century of Vicissitudes: A Chronicle of China's National Industrial and Commercial History takes the four major stages of the development of China's national industrial and commercial sector as its main thread, deeply portraying the winding journey of its birth and growth by selecting representative figures from each development period.
The of the Opium War marked the beginning of modern Chinese history and also sounded the clarion call for the development of China's national industrial and commercial sector. The advanced production technologies and business concepts from the West brought unprecedented changes to China's economy and society. From state-run enterprises to state-supervised commercial enterprises and finally to independent private capital operations, China's national industrial and commercial sector finally broke free from its cocoon.
The defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 made "saving the country 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 China's national industrial and commercial sector to grow from a spark into a prairie fire.
As it grew, China's national industrial and commercial sector 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. It experienced both highs and lows, going through a complex and winding process of arduous development.
The founding of the People's Republic of China brought true hope and a dawn of development to Chinese society. With the establishment of the new socialist system, China's national industrial and commercial sector, supported and protected by the Party and government, rapidly developed. It eventually transformed from national capital industrial and commercial enterprises into socialist joint-stock enterprises, making positive and significant contributions to consolidating and developing the national economy.