Shanghai and China´s Economic Rise

Dong’s book Shanghai introduces us Shanghai, a city born in greed and humiliation. Shanghai was like “the ugly daughter grew up in the shadow of celestial Empire’s defeat by outsiders in the opium war. (p.2, Dong)” From late 1800s to 1949, “in Shanghai, more than anywhere else in China, progressive-minded Chinese recognizes the need for China to adopt modern enterprises and technology. (p.66, Dong)”

Shanghai, a treaty port ruled simultaneously by three separate municipal regimes, in the first half of the 20th century rose to become China's largest city for many important functions, such as trade, financing, manufacturing, journalism, publishing and education. However, the city had enclaves beyond the immediate reach of the Chinese government, which permitted sections of it to become havens of dissent. The West ruled Shanghai. During 1842-1949, Western countries not only was writing rules for the China and West games played in China but also was changing the rules as they wished.

In 2010, Edward Steinfeld, who is well known for his expertise in Chinese politics and economics, and international business developments, published the book Playing Our Game Why China’s Rise Doesn’t Threaten the West, where he announced “In essence, China today – a country at the peak of its modernization revolution-is doing something it historically never really did before. It is playing our game. (p.18)”

In the past decade, the world has seen the rise of China in the contexts of the soaring levels of exports, the enormous foreign exchange reserves, the extraordinary growth rates, and the utter roughness of the system even in the face of severe worldwide recessions. Many commentators have a certain level of suspicion in viewing this China’s ri...

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...sted itself in the global system, a games written by the West because of the West’s capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship.

For the future, neither the West nor China can play the former game. All the parties have to work persistently to improve their performance. All of the parties may have to corporate to write the rules together.

Works Cited

Collis, Maurice. Foreign Mud, 1946

Dong, Stella. Shanghai 1842-1949 The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City, 2001

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: http://merriam-webster.com/

Mungello, D.E. “The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800” 2nd Edition, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2005

Steinfeld, Edward S. Playing Our Game Why China’s Economic Rise Doesn’t Threaten the West, 2010

Hanes, Travis W. III and Sanello, Frank, the Opium Wars the Addiction of One Emperor and the Corruption of Another, 2002