Banking in Modern China
Entrepreneurs, Professional Managers, and the Development of Chinese Banks, 1897–1937

This book documents the evolution of modern Chinese banking between 1897 and 1937.

Linsun Cheng (Author)

9780521811422, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 March 2003

294 pages, 16 b/w illus. 43 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.6 kg

'A product of meticulous research using primary Chinese and English language sources, Cheng's study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the rise of banking in modern China.' Enterprise and Society

This book documents the evolution of modern Chinese banking, from the establishment in 1897 of the first Chinese bank along a Western model, to the abrupt interruption of professional banking by the Japanese invasion in 1937. Drawing from original documents of major Chinese banks, Linsun Cheng explains how and why the banks were able, despite a succession of foreign and domestic crises, to grow into viable and self-sustaining institutions in China. Rich with historical detail, this book offers a comprehensive narrative of the origins and growth of professional banks. This book provides a critical part in the literature on China's economic history and modernization in the pre-war period. Cheng also recounts early experiences with Chinese banking reform that resonate today as useful lessons to Chinese policymakers assessing options for financial reform.

List of tables and figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The coming of a new force (1897–1911)
2. Expansion, concentration and privatization (1912–27)
3. The 'golden age' and its sudden end (1927–37)
4. Government debts and modern banks
5. Traditions and innovations I
6. Traditions and innovations II
7. Modern enterprises, professional managers and the entrepreneurs with Chinese characteristics
8. Conclusion
Appendixes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Banking [KFFK], Economic history [KCZ], General & world history [HBG]