German Jewish Merchant Werner Rüdenberg And Modern Shanghai 1904-1937

This study examines the professional and personal experiences of a German-Jewish merchant,Werner Rüdenberg,as a case study of the presence and influences of expatriates in modern Shanghai,focusing on his business and cultural activities therein,and how his activities as a businessman and also a scholar concurrently cast light on international events.His experiences elucidated developments in various aspects of modern Shanghai globalization,including technological,economic,cultural,political developments,as well as making personal contributions to economic and cultural life.Werner Rüdenberg was engaged in international trading functions in Shanghai from 1904-1919,and then later 1935-1937,when he set up companies.During this time,he acquired fluency in Mandarin Chinese language,and later compiled and published a Chinese-German Dictionary in 1924,which was very popular and was also acquired by many institutions in different countries,and still remained the main reference book in the Sinology departments of German universities for the next fifty years.Rüdenberg also left a great deal of correspondence that recorded daily life activities centered on the Concessions,as well as historical events,including direct eyewitness accounts of the Battle of Shanghai,which provide new insights into the personal lives of Shanghai expatriates.The introduction sets forth this new contribution to the history of Shanghai expatriates from an international microhistory perspective,particularly as Rüdenberg was neither a leading industry personality,such as Sassoons or Hardoons,nor a Jewish refugee from persecution in National Socialist Germany,and has therefore received little attention.Nevertheless,his personal accounts as a businessman,scholar and an eyewitness to historical events adds a new perspective to the history of Shanghai.Chapter one examines the Shanghai-centered transport network in the early twentieth century,which composed the foundation of Shanghai’s economic interactions with the world.This involves examining the Shanghai-centered ocean-going shipping network,which included the Italian steamer the Conte Rosso that the Rüdenbergs travelled,as well as the Shanghai-Europe overland transport network that traced the Trans-Siberian Railway that also composed the main means for travel and postal services between China and Europe.These forms of transportation were later supplemented by the telegraph and then gradually air mail as rapid means of communication that enabled expatriates in the Concessions to communicate with personal and business contacts.Chapter two examines Rüdenberg’s contributions as a businessman in Shanghai,along with social life events.As a resident in the German merchant community centered in the Concessions,his visits to China before the First World War were part of the underlying element of German business interests in modern Shanghai’s foreign trade functions that composed an emerging trend.These experiences demonstrate Rüdenberg’s professional contributions in Shanghai while working as a commission agent for his company,known as "Lisheng"(Werner Rüdenberg&Co.),and as the Shanghai branch manager of "Zhengde"(Cetco Ltd.),and being responsible for the import and export business.These two companies’ demonstrated Shanghai’s worldwide international trade connections.Another more specific contribution was the sale of"Radium Emanation Water" that Rüdenberg sold in Shanghai,which also relates to Shanghai’s connection to the world market and the concomitant trends in the consumer spirit of the times.An additional element of how the Riidenbergs experienced as direct eyewitness to the events of the time was living a distinctive western type of lifestyle that expatriates created within Shanghai,which included attending parties and sporting events.However,Rüdenberg applied his fluency in Mandarin Chinese to engage in cross-cultural encounters,such as by organizing study groups to practice Mandarin Chinese and the Shanghainese dialect,as well as travelling frequently to the outskirts of Shanghai and the surrounding towns,which cast light on the diversity of daily life practices in modern Shanghai.Chapter three discusses Rüdenberg’s particular contributions as a scholar.Most foreigners in Shanghai during this time did not speak Mandarin Chinese,and therefore relied on Chinese compradors.As Shanghai’s foreign trade flourished,foreigners realised the importance of acquiring fluency in Mandarin Chinese language for their business activities.Rüdenberg consistently showed a marked interest in learning Mandarin Chinese,which led to the production of his comprehensive Chinese-German Dictionary as a result of his personal language studies,which became a bestseller that was acclaimed by linguistics scholars,and also demonstrated practical value by including recording a number of commonly used modern expressions.This achievement led to Rüdenberg meeting a number of scholars who later invited to become a German director of the Chinese&Foreign Cultural Relations Association,and thereby serving as an interface contact for Sino-German language and cultural exchanges.Chapter four discusses Rüdenbergs’ records as witnesses to historical events and their underlying significance through examining correspondence describing wartime conditions.In addition to providing distinct views on the Battle of Shanghai,there is evidence of political networks that were formed by the rise of both European and Asian fascism that profoundly affected the the local population,as well as indications of the political persecution of the Rüdenbergs due to their Jewish identity.This study concluded Shanghai’s international trade and urban development in the early twentieth century as a site for an early form of what later became known as globalisation attracted that young Europeans and Americans,particularly such as Rüdenberg to discover new economic opportunities.Rübecame involved in the local elements of economic,cultural and political life,and duly made individual contributions to this evolving environment along with other expatriates,and was also a direct eyewitness to the diverse cultural life of the time.The distinctive friendly and egalitarian attitude of the Rüdenbergs toward the Chinese nationals led to the additional development of his success in the study of Mandarin Chinese,in addition to creating optimism about business prospects in Shanghai.