Banking in Modern China: Entrepreneurs, Professional Managers, and the Development of Chinese Banks, 1897-1937 (Cambridge Modern China Series) [Paperback]

Linsun Cheng (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521032768 | ISBN-13: 978-0521032766 | Publication Date: February 12, 2007

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 in 1937 of professional banking by the Japanese invasion. Drawing from original documents of major Chinese banks, Linsun Cheng explains how the banks were able to grow into viable and self-sustaining institutions in China, despite a succession of foreign and domestic crises. Rich with historical details, this book presents a comprehensive narrative of the origins and growth of professional banks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This well-documented and organized narrative will be useful to all those, teachers and students, who are interested in modern China's economic and financial history." American Historical Review

"In this excellent study of modern Chinese banking, we are fortunate to have Linsun Cheng, a leading Chinese economic historian and member of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, publishing his findings in English." Pacific Affairs

Book Description

This is the first book to document in English 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 Rich with new, unpublished historical details, this book offers an original, comprehensive narrative of the origins and growth of professional banks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521032768
• ISBN-13: 978-0521032766
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,118,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start, May 27, 2003

By 

MXP (Beijing, China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Banking in Modern China: Entrepreneurs, Professional Managers, and the Development of Chinese Banks, 1897-1937 (Cambridge Modern China Series) (Hardcover)

For those of us (very few, I guess), who want to understand the development of the Chinese banking system prior to 1949, this book is one of the few places to start. The author has collected a great deal of information on Chinese commercial banks beginning with the establishment of the Imperial Bank in 1897. He is particularly strong on evaluating some of the claims made about the inefficiency of the Chinese banks and their supposedly negative impact on Chinese development. For example he strongly rejects -- convincingly, I think -- the claims made by Chinese and some foreign historians, mostly after 1949, that the banks eagerly suppoted the warlords and profited mainly by speculating in government bonds. Students of recent Chinese economic history already know that much of what passes for historical scholarship is often of questionable credibility, and it is good that this book attempts to address these issues. I would have liked to see more information on the roots of Chinese banking, and he does provide some good information in Chapter 1, but not enough. The information in this book is not always well-organized but that probably has more to do with the difficulty of putting it together than anything else. If you are interested in the topic, this is a pretty necessary book, but if not, it will probably not be an interesting read.