Xian Wan

University of Edinburgh

The Fate of Chinese Compradors in the Early 20th Century

I’m sincerely grateful for the 2022/2023 bursary bestowed by the Economic History Society. This financial aid facilitated my child’s enrollment in day-care, affording me the liberty to undertake extensive archival research in Cambridge and London. The past year showcased significant strides in my research, centred on comprehensively investigating the roles of compradors within Jardine, Matheson & Co. and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. This research forms a cornerstone of my comparative study on foreign firms operating in early 20th-century China.