Chinese cities in the centennial transition

Sun Sheng Han () and Ning Yan ()

Chapter 3 in Institutions, Culture and the Chinese City, 2025, pp 40-61 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 3 discusses the demise of the Qin System, the emergence of the Party-State System and urban changes from 1840 to 1949. The Sino-British Opium War in 1840 forced the Qing emperors to open the doors of the self-proclaimed celestial state for trade. It also marked the beginning of an era in which Chinese reformers and revolutionary enthusiasts advocated for changes in China's political system and Confucian culture. Western ideas and practices regarding political systems and culture began to spread among Chinese intellectuals. The Soviet-style Party-State System found fertile ground to take root in Chinese society. As the Qin System ended with the downfall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, China entered the Republican era. However, frequent wars and turmoil disrupted peace and economic development until 1949, when the Chinese communists founded the PRC. Many old administrative centres waned during this centennial transition period, while other cities emerged as modern industrial, commercial and transportation hubs. Port cities with foreign concession areas and colonial cities in the northeastern region rapidly grew into large metropolises and became significant industrial and population centres in post-1949 China.

Keywords: Sino-British Opium War; Demise of the Qin System; Centennial transition; Party-State System; Colonial cities; Foreign concession areas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035312429
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