Business Expansion and Structural Change in Pre-War China: Liu Hongsheng and His Enterprises, 1920-1937

Acknowledgements

With the excitement ofcompleting this book, 1would like to 出ank many people for enlightenment, kind assistance, encouragement, stimulation, and friendship over the many years that went into it. This book originates from my doctoral thesis and Professor David W. Faure, my thesis supervisor, has not only been critical to every aspect ofmy thesis but also most supportive, patient and encouraging at several crucial moments in my graduate study and beyond. His support to my career has also been long-standing. His intellectual illumination and stimulation continue to provide me with excitement beyond my thesis. His dedication to intellectual pursuits shows me the way to be a scholar with humanity. Criticisms, suggestions, and encouragement have also come from Professors James Foreman-Peck, Rajeswary A. Brown, Sherman Cochran, Yeh-chien Wang, Yen-p'ing Hao, Ramon Myers, Chi-kong Lai, Han-wai Ho, Fang-shang Lu, Robert Gardella, Mi-cha W划， Hamashita Takeshi, Joe McDermo抗， and Chinkeong Ng at various stages of this study and its various revisions into a book. Professors Hon Ming Yip and Ming K. Chan, whose support began from my undergraduate days, have continued their concern over my study and career. The three anonymous readers' critical reviews of the manuscript were valuable to the 品rmation of its fìnal form. Among them, Professor Cochran personally revealed his identity to me, providing valuable comments as friend and critic. Enormous help and support also came from Professor Bruce Lockhart during the early stage of revision 丘om thesis into book manuscript. In particular, he spent months helping to polish the language. His help was instrumental. Through the years, 1 have been honoured to meet on different occasions many scholars in the fìeld of Chinese business hist。可; and to engage with them in intellectual exchange. These include Professors Parks M. Coble,Jr., Frank H. H. King, Howard Cox, Andrea McElderry, Chi-cheung Choi, Wellington K. K. Xl xii Acknowledgeme Chan, Linda Grove, Kuroda Akinobu, Y立sutomi Ayumu, Kanemaru Yuichi, Liu Zhiwei, and Chen Chunsheng, and to them, I am very grateful. Professors Huang Hanmin, Shen Zuwei, Xiong Yuezhi, Lu Xinglong, Ma Bohuang, Xu Dingxin, Du Xuncheng, Li Yixiang, Xu Min, and the late Professor Tang Zhenchang，。叮叮ed in many ways their extremely valuable aid during my visits in Shanghai from 1993 to 1995. Their guidance and friendship have also been long-lasting. This study on Liu Hongsheng could not have been done without permission to access archives housed at the Resource Center for Chinese Business History, at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Long hours could not have been spent at the archives, and materials could not have been accessed, without the kindness and understanding ofthe center's sta缸; particularly Mrs Huang Fenglian and Mr Shen Qiusheng. Special thanks must go to the center for permission to reproduce photographs from its collection for this book. Staffofother archives and libraries also rendered their kind help in locating and providing source materials: the Bodleian Library (particularly the Modern Manuscript Room, Oriental Reading Room), the Chinese Studies Library, both in Oxford, the Shanghai Municipal Archives, Library of Shanghai, and the Republic of China's Economic Historical Archives at the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, the National University ofSingapore Central Library, and Tunghai University (Taiwan) Library. I thank the Trustees of the Swire Group Charitable Trust, the Citibank Scholarship (Oxford), and the Overseas Research Student Awards, for their generous scholarships 品r my doctoral study in Ox品吐， and the National Science Council's Social Science Research Center (Taiwan) for postdoctoral fellowship. Friends and colleagues from many places have also been supportive to this venture from thesis to book. They include Sui-wai Cheung, Staphenie P. Y. Chung, Elisabeth Köll, May-bo Ching, Henrietta Harrison, Matsubara Kentaro, c. C. Ooh, Wing-kin Puk, John P. Burns, Robert Bickers, Peter Alsop, FranzPaul van der Putte扎扎1aur泣io Peleggi, Peter Borschberg, Matthew Chow, Edward Hui, Vernon Pang, Emily L況， William W. N. Lo, Joel Lau, Chen Wei-chi, Hsu Pei-hsien, Lee Wen-liang, Eugene W. C. Chiu, Wang Hsing-an, Lin Hsin-yi, Sato Masayuki, Imai Takako, Kusakabe Shinobu, Man To Leung, Tim Mau, Giovanni Papotto, Christy M. S. Chan, Donna Brunero, me. My student helpers from Tunghai University, particularly Miss Anne Kaiping Hsiung，此1iss Zhuo Chun-wei, and 扎1r Fu Chun-wei provided invaluable technical assistance during the later stage of the book manuscript. λc的owledgemen訂 Xlll My parents deserve more than...