Chinese Capitalists versus the American Flour Industry, 1890-1910. Profit and Patriotism in International Trade

Description

At the turn of the twentieth century, American and Chinese millers were locked in a fiercely contested battle for control of Chinas urban flour market that both sides considered crucial to their nations future. For Americans, Chinese markets were vital to continued commercial expansion and ultimately, the power, prestige and security of the United States. For Chinese, defending their markets against foreign imports, influence and intervention was essential to preserving their commercial integrity and Chinas national sovereignty. This study analyzes the dynamics of this commercial conflict from a perspective essential to the advancement of Chinese business studies, redirecting research in the field from the current China-centered approach to a China-global context. It contextualizes the flour trade through analysis of global factorspolitical as well as economicinfluencing the competitive marketing of domestic and imported commodities. This broader view provides a more balanced, comprehensive examination of late Qing business history and the role played by international trade in the development of import-substitution industrialization. Countering previous failure-based studies of Chinese industrialization, this study highlights the complex relationship between Chinese capitalists and the government, which stimulated successful private industrial development in late imperial China. Analysis of Chinas flour milling industry also provides insight into the contemporary capitalist-state alliance that has spurred the nations dynamic commercial growth since the 1980s.