Construction of the Hinterland: State, Society, and Economy in Northern China's Interior (1853-1937)

Author: [USA] Mark Elvin, translated by Ma Junya
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This book offers a fresh evaluation of some major issues in modern Chinese history, exploring the social, economic, and ecological changes in the North China interior during the late Qing and early Republican periods. Mark Elvin utilizes extensive new materials and argues that the development in some regions led to systemic underdevelopment in others. He elaborates on local financial, agricultural, transportation, and tax conditions, as well as peasant resistance struggles, and analyzes the causal relationships among different classes, regions, and genders. Elvin contends that the hinterland was constructed rather than discovered, largely shaped by the strategies of local groups and external forces.