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This book explores imperial power and the transnational encounters of shipowners and merchants in the South China Sea from 1840 to 1930. With British Hong Kong and French Indochina on its northern and western shores, the 'Asian Mediterranean' was for almost a century a crucible of power and an axis of economic struggle for coastal shipping companies from various nations. Merchant steamers shipped cargoes and passengers between ports of the region. Hong Kong, the global port city, and the colonial ports of Saigon and Haiphong developed into major hubs for the flow of goods and people, while Guangzhouwan survived as an almost forgotten outpost of Indochina. While previous research in this field has largely remained within the confines of colonial history, this book uses the examples of French and German companies operating in the South China Sea to demonstrate the extent to which transnational actors and business networks interacted with imperial power and the process of globalisation.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. Imperialism and Migrations: Europeans in East Asia, 1840s-1885.- 3. Colonial Infrastructure: The River Shipping Network of Tonkin, 1886-1906.- 4. Cooperation and Competition: Shipping Trades in the South China Sea, 1880s-1910.- 5. Colonial Burden: French Kwang-chow-wan and the Postal Steamer Service, 1890s-1918.- 6, Colonial Haiphong: Extravagances and Diversifications, 1907-1920s.- 7. Conclusion.
About the author
Bert Becker is Associate Professor in Modern European History at the University of Hong Kong. He has written prize-winning biographies on Georg Michaelis, the German chancellor of 1917, and Michael Jebsen, shipowner and politician in Imperial Germany. His research interests include the maritime and business histories of Hong Kong, China and Vietnam
Report
"Becker's analysis is well documented. Each chapter includes an extensive bibliography and detailed references to archival sources. ... At the macro level, this book is a careful and detailed assessment of 'open economy growth' based on the development of intensive trade links between Europe and Indochina ... . It also explores the commercial and maritime consequences ... Asian ventures. At the micro level, it convincingly emphasizes the role of French and German merchants and companies in this 'great powers' competition." (Hubert Bonin, EH Net, eh.net, July, 2022)
