Xian Wan

University of Edinburgh

The fate of the Chinese Compradors

Thanks to the bursary award, I was able to travel to archival centres in London, as well as the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh, in addition to the Shanghai Municipal Archives, Hubei Provincial Archives, and Tianjin Municipal Archives in China. These research trips contributed to my study of the operations of foreign companies in China in the early 20th century, particularly their varied approaches to maintaining or abolishing Chinese compradors. This research will illuminate strategies in modern international business and provide insights into human resource management in multinational enterprises.