Innovation and Industry in China, ca. 1750–1930

Meimei Wang (), Xiaojing Li, Bas van Leeuwen, Yi Xu and Ulbe Bosma
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Meimei Wang: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Xicheng District, Institute of Economics
Xiaojing Li: Guangxi Normal University, School of History, Culture and Tourism
Bas van Leeuwen: Research Department, International Institute of Social History
Yi Xu: Guangxi Normal University, School of History, Culture and Tourism
Ulbe Bosma: Research Department, International Institute of Social History

A chapter in The First Industrial Revolution and Global Divergence, 2026, pp 251-303 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter examines China’s industrialization from 1700 until the early twentieth century, focusing especially on the experience in three key sectors: mining, silk, and cotton. Before 1860, industrialization was inconsistent, but after 1860 China moved from decline toward minor technical and economic development. We identify two distinct technological pathways to industrialization. First, strategic industries such as coal, which were closely tied to national security, were placed under tight bureaucratic control and became capital-intensive. These, often state-led, sectors pursued externally dependent modernization. Second, in labor-intensive, market-oriented, light industries, such as textiles, in which China had a comparative advantage and were led by private entrepreneurs, advancement occurred in the form of localized, bottom-up innovation that resulted in incremental improvements and adaptive innovation.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-26359-9_7

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