The Professional Life And Social Network Of The Publishers In Shanghai From1912to1927

In1912, the beginning of the Republic of China, Lu Feikui left the Commercial Press to establish Zhonghua Book Company and since that time, the Commercial Press, Zhonghua Book Company, Dadong Book Company, the World Book Company, Kaiming Book Company, the five-presses-led publishing industry which was pretty prosperous gradually came into existence in Shanghai of Beiyang Government period (1912-1927). Along with the exuberant publishing industry, a crowd of literary men gathered in Shanghai. During that era when a surging transformation was going on, both the publishing industry and these publishers themselves were experiencing some impressive changes. The author tried to explore the context of that era by researching those publishers’ professional life and social network who lived during that time.Four problems are included in this thesis:First, the blooming publishing industry during Beiyang Government period. This prosperity accrued from the consistency of the publishing industry which had already emerged in Qing Dynasty. On the other hand, the new traits of the Republic of China and Beiyang Government period provoked such a flourish in the publishing industry as well.Second, the source of these publishers. These four types of people, the church apprentices, the traditional literary men, the modern scholars who received education in domestic and the abroad students, were the hard core members of the publishers. Some of these four types of people turned into publishers simultaneously while some might not. It could be deduced from the variation of the source of these publishers that a tremendous change did take place not only in the publishing industry, but in the way Western learning was spread and this even reflected the huge transformation of the era.Third, the occupation, income and consumption of the publishers. Due to the diverse educational backgrounds, positions and reputations, the publishers’ occupations, income and consumption were quite different.Fourth, the construction of the publishers’ social networks. It includes the publishers’interior social network and the social network they constructed with other social groups. These social networks, which were intensified or otherwise weakened as time went on, made a significant impact on the publishers’daily life.