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

Author: (USA) Mark Elvin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This work 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 utilized extensive new materials and argued that the development in some regions led to systemic underdevelopment in others. He elaborated on local financial, agricultural, transportation, and tax conditions, as well as peasant resistance struggles, and analyzed the causal relationships among different classes, regions, and genders. Elvin believed that the hinterland was created rather than discovered, largely shaped by the strategies of local groups and external forces.