Railway imperialism in China

Name: Railway imperialism in China
Price: 240.22 AUD
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ISBN: 9781526195258

A political biography

Yangwen Zheng

$299.95 $240.22

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Manchester University Press
01 April 2026

Industrialisation & industrial history; Colonialism & imperialism; Economic history; History of engineering & technology; Railway technology, engineering & trades

Series: Studies in Imperialism

Railway imperialism in China: A political biography is the first and most comprehensive book on history and politics of all major railways in China from the late Qing to the post-Mao era. It investigates the transformation of railways from a bete noire within discussions about reform to the emblematic 'engines for empire' as foreign powers used it to carve out spheres of control, and as an instrument of nation making for Chinese regimes. The book introduces new archival sources and a wide range of secondary materials. Boldly conceived, it situates the making of modern China in the context of British, Russian, German, Japanese, French, Belgium and American expansion. It traces China's metamorphosis from a victim of railway imperialism in the Age of Empire to a railway expansionist in the twenty-first century.

By: Yangwen Zheng
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 818g
ISBN: 9781526195258
ISBN 10: 1526195259
Series: Studies in Imperialism
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 01 April 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction Part I Nemesis of Reform 1 Railway Calling: British Attempts 2 A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step 3 Converting the Oriental Despot Part II “Tools of Empire” 4 “Engines for Empire”: Russia Sets the Standard 5 “By Order of the Kaiser”: Germany Outmanoeuvres 6 “Military Preparedness in Civilian Garb”: Japan Catches Up 7 “Civilization Follows the Locomotive”: French Variation Part III Instrument of Nation Building 8 The “Quest for Railway Autonomy”: China Mobilises 9 He Who Controls Railways Controls China 10 “High Speed Empire”: China Dreams -- .

Zheng Yangwen is Professor of Chinese History at the University of Manchester.