In Modern Times, The Development Of Shanghai Community And Its Significance In Social Management Research

The development of social groups in modern Shanghai was the resultof the expanding merchandise trade market and the modern ideological andcultural infiltration. Before it was opened as a commercial port, oldShanghai was a traditional port county seat. As elsewhere, at that timeShanghai was walking on the measured tread of history slowly andmethodically with the beat of the natural economy of feudalsociety.However, due to its coastal transportation advantages, Shanghainurtured the seeds of capitalist economy earlier. The business economyhad a considerable degree of development based the cotton textile industryand the shipping industry, and the traditional inn halls and craft guildsbegan to appear. But generally, before the opening up, Shanghai was stilla society of the feudal natural economy and simple commodity economydominating social formation，social groups were also relatively small.After the opening up, Shanghai was promoted outside the traditionaldeveloping track. Western industrial goods entered unhindered to theShanghai market, causing progressively severe impact on the traditionalcotton textile industry and other handicrafts in Shanghai. Shanghai’seconomic form was gradually included in the scope of Western capitalism.With the foreign goods coming in, there were the mode of modern Westernproduction and the way of their life hidden in the commodity, includingthe modern Western ideological and cultural concepts, which had a greaterimpact on the society than tangible goods. With the opening of theConcession, the social system of modern Western capitalism wasimplemented directly in Shanghai. Dominance of modern Westerncivilization guided the tendency of modern Shanghai transition to Westernsocial patterns.The separate political pattern of three realms in modern Shanghaibroke the authority which feudal regime unified to manage the urbansociety. With the prestige and way of the traditional governance graduallysubsiding, A lot of "enclave "and "vacuum zone "of management weakeningappeared in the urban areas. Various forces evolved differently in the situation of divided governance and the social risk increased.Open trade conditions developed the location advantages of thedevelopment of market economy and the huge economic potential ofconnecting internal and external trade. By the turn of the twentiethcentury, Shanghai’s industrial economy accelerated development, thecommodity markets expanded rapidly, the industrial scale achieved asignificant leap, the industry categories increased in the unprecedentednumber, the market competition further intensified, and in general thesocial life was in commercialization. For the coordination of the marketeconomic order, the maintenance of group interest and the stability ofthe social living environment, a large number of modern social groups wereestablished and the community organizations flourished.The rapid development of modern Shanghai attracted a large number ofimmigrants of all sides to develop venture and business, look for anopportunity to make a living, and come to settle down here. Shanghai becamea modern city of immigrants. A common immigration experience integratedthe immigrants to be modern Shanghai residents. Individual independenceand democratic values of the public promoted the establishment anddevelopment of various types of civil society organizations in modernShanghai.By the impetus of the open market economy and the infiltration ofmodern ideology and culture, modern Shanghai’s the vitality andcreativity was activated. The independent tone of the socialself-organization, self-development and self-response to the socialtrends in various fields gave birth to establishment of social groupsgenerally. The public domain with management function was formed in modernShanghai. For the activity that the social groups performed in variousfields, modern Shanghai showed a certain characteristics of civilsociety.The development and prosperity of the social groups, going hand inhand with the development footsteps of modern Shanghai, was amanifestation of an autonomous and independent spirit of the civil societyin modern Shanghai, to enhance the vitality of the community, to maintain the social relationship, to upgrade the creativity of the city, and torich the life of the city.Social groups were important to integrate the power of modern Shanghaisociety. In modern Shanghai society of government weakening and complexenvironment changing, social group activities played an important roleof social security and social management.Modern Shanghai was also a society with flood of gang organizations.The gang was a variation of the civil society, which seized illegalinterests. A large number of the city displaced persons were used by othersor formed their own gang because they were not effective national andsocial protection. The prevalence of gang showed that the obvious socialflaws existed in the development of modern Shanghai. To some extent, theexistence and development of a large number of associations and their rolein safeguarding the interests of society，inhibited the disruptiveactivities of the gang.Through the historical survey of modern Shanghai, we can view: socialgroups are the social management power of democratic self-government anddemocratic self-discipline. Today thinking about social managementinnovation, we should be a correct understanding of the socialorganizations polymerization, develop the potential of social groups tomanage the society, give full play to the basic role of socialorganizations to participate in industry management and the provision ofsocial services.