China's Early Industrialization

China's early industrialization (1865-1895) is ofgreat importance to theories of economicdevelopment. This book examines why China'sindustrialization was slow compared to contemporaryJapan's. The author argues that China's tardyeconomic development was due to ineffectivegovernment leadership. He further explores why theChinese government did not lead China's economicdevelopment effectively. The Manchu question-Manchurule of Qing China and Manchu supremacy over otherethnic groups-triggered ethnic rebellions betweenthe early 1850s and the early 1870s, which severelyundercut the power of the government. Ethnicrebellions in turn were caused by the government'sunequal ethnic policies that had established anethnic hierarchy in the empire. Moreover, betweenthe 1860s and 1890s the government spent adisproportionate amount of its revenue tofinancially support the Manchus leading toinsufficient governmental investment in modernprojects. Sociologists, political economists, andhistorians of China and Japan will find this bookinformative.

Autorentext

Wei Li teaches sociology at Frostburg State University in Maryland, US. Wei also has taught Japanese in China for more than five years. He is interested in economic development, politics, and ethnic relations in the global context. Wei received his doctoral degree in sociology from Georgia State University in 2008.

Klappentext
China's early industrialization (1865-1895) is of great importance to theories of economic development. This book examines why China's industrialization was slow compared to contemporary Japan's. The author argues that China's tardy economic development was due to ineffective government leadership. He further explores why the Chinese government did not lead China's economic development effectively. The Manchu question-Manchu rule of Qing China and Manchu supremacy over other ethnic groups-triggered ethnic rebellions between the early 1850s and the early 1870s, which severely undercut the power of the government. Ethnic rebellions in turn were caused by the government's unequal ethnic policies that had established an ethnic hierarchy in the empire. Moreover, between the 1860s and 1890s the government spent a disproportionate amount of its revenue to financially support the Manchus leading to insufficient governmental investment in modern projects. Sociologists, political economists, and historians of China and Japan will find this book informative.