The Relationship Between Migration and Private Enterprises in Shanghai during the Late Qing Dynasty and the Early Republic of China

Abstract

In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, private enterprises in Shanghai made rapid development. There are many reasons to promote the development of private enterprises in Shanghai. From the perspective of population migration, this research analyzes how the migration of Chinese and foreign population to Shanghai promoted the development of private enterprises in Shanghai in this period from four aspects: concession, labor and demand, technology, and the change of government control over enterprises. By analyzing old photographs and data from local gazetteers of Shanghai, the paper also investigates the relationship between migration and private enterprises in Shanghai. It demonstrates that the foreign and domestic migration to Shanghai significantly contributed to the development of private enterprises in Shanghai during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.