Modern History Research-British Colonial Culture in Shanghai
Research Article
Open Access
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Modern History Research-British Colonial Culture in Shanghai

Yubing Chen 1*
1 Zhengzhou University
*Corresponding author: yubingc406@gmail.com
Published on 4 December 2025
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CHR Vol.100
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-577-6
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-578-3
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Abstract

This study examines British colonial behavior and its cultural impact in Shanghai and Hong Kong from 1843 to 1941. It compares the semi-autonomous Shanghailanders’ community in Shanghai with the British Crown Colony in Hong Kong, showing how different institutional structures shaped colonizers’ practices, cultural identities, and urban spaces. In Shanghai, the concession system fostered a hybrid “colonial self,” combining imperial loyalty with local belonging through the Municipal Council, chambers of commerce, clubs, and schools. In contrast, Hong Kong’s centralized colonial administration emphasized bureaucratic control, cultural segregation, and a singular “imperial loyalty.” The analysis highlights how daily practices of colonizers influenced urban cultural formation under divergent colonial regimes, providing insight into the micro-mechanisms of colonial identity and local adaptation.

Keywords:

Shanghai International Settlement, Shanghailanders, colonial psychology, urban culture, institutional comparison

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Chen,Y. (2025). Modern History Research-British Colonial Culture in Shanghai. Communications in Humanities Research,100,65-70.

References

[1]. Clifford, N. (1991) Spoilt Children of Empire: Westerners in Shanghai and the Chinese Revolution of the 1920s. Middlebury, VT: Middlebury College Press.

[2]. Carroll, J. M., & Carroll, J. M. (2009) Edge of empires: Chinese elites and British colonials in Hong Kong. Harvard University Press.

[3]. Tsang, S. (2003) A Modern History of Hong Kong. London: I.B. Tauris.

[4]. Jackson, I. (2017) Shaping modern Shanghai: colonialism in China's global city. Cambridge University Press.

[5]. Wang, X. Y. (2019) The Spatial Layout of Colonial Port Cities and Its Institutional Background: A Comparative Study of Modern Shanghai and Hong Kong. In: 2019 China Urban Planning Annual Conference. Chongqing, 307-319.

[6]. Wan, Y., & Mou, Z. Y. (2025) Research on the Evolution and Spatial Characteristics of Urban Form in Modern Shanghai. Journal of East China Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 57(01): 42-52.

[7]. Bickers, R. (1998) Shanghailanders: The Formation and Identity of the British Settler Community in Shanghai, 1843–1937. Past & Present, 159(1): 161-211.

[8]. Parry, J. (2022) The Politics of Patriotism: The British State and the British World, 1900–1939. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[9]. Zheng, L. Q. (2024) A Study on the Development Relationship between the Parks in the Modern Shanghai Concessions and the Parks Built by the Chinese People. Journal of Chinese Garden Museum Studies, (00): 16-22.

[10]. Wang, Q. Y. (2025) Mixed races and diverse civilizations coexist: The growth trajectory of Shanghai's modern city. Shanghai Culture, (04): 5-12.

[11]. Wang, H. (2025) Pictorial Daily and Modern Shanghai: Visual Reproduction of Daily Life in Shanghai in the Early 20th Century. Urban Cultural Studies, (01): 202-217.

[12]. Zou, Z. T. (2025) Away from the City: Leisure Travel along the Yangtze River by Modern Shanghai Citizens. Research on Yangtze River Culture, 107-124+127-128.

[13]. Wasserstrom, J. N. (2008) Global Shanghai, 1850-2010: A history in fragments. Routledge.

[14]. Goodman, B. (1994) Shanghai 1927–1937: Municipal Power, Locality and Modernization. Berkeley: University of California Press.

References

[1]. Clifford, N. (1991) Spoilt Children of Empire: Westerners in Shanghai and the Chinese Revolution of the 1920s. Middlebury, VT: Middlebury College Press.

[2]. Carroll, J. M., & Carroll, J. M. (2009) Edge of empires: Chinese elites and British colonials in Hong Kong. Harvard University Press.

[3]. Tsang, S. (2003) A Modern History of Hong Kong. London: I.B. Tauris.

[4]. Jackson, I. (2017) Shaping modern Shanghai: colonialism in China's global city. Cambridge University Press.

[5]. Wang, X. Y. (2019) The Spatial Layout of Colonial Port Cities and Its Institutional Background: A Comparative Study of Modern Shanghai and Hong Kong. In: 2019 China Urban Planning Annual Conference. Chongqing, 307-319.

[6]. Wan, Y., & Mou, Z. Y. (2025) Research on the Evolution and Spatial Characteristics of Urban Form in Modern Shanghai. Journal of East China Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 57(01): 42-52.

[7]. Bickers, R. (1998) Shanghailanders: The Formation and Identity of the British Settler Community in Shanghai, 1843–1937. Past & Present, 159(1): 161-211.

[8]. Parry, J. (2022) The Politics of Patriotism: The British State and the British World, 1900–1939. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[9]. Zheng, L. Q. (2024) A Study on the Development Relationship between the Parks in the Modern Shanghai Concessions and the Parks Built by the Chinese People. Journal of Chinese Garden Museum Studies, (00): 16-22.

[10]. Wang, Q. Y. (2025) Mixed races and diverse civilizations coexist: The growth trajectory of Shanghai's modern city. Shanghai Culture, (04): 5-12.

[11]. Wang, H. (2025) Pictorial Daily and Modern Shanghai: Visual Reproduction of Daily Life in Shanghai in the Early 20th Century. Urban Cultural Studies, (01): 202-217.

[12]. Zou, Z. T. (2025) Away from the City: Leisure Travel along the Yangtze River by Modern Shanghai Citizens. Research on Yangtze River Culture, 107-124+127-128.

[13]. Wasserstrom, J. N. (2008) Global Shanghai, 1850-2010: A history in fragments. Routledge.

[14]. Goodman, B. (1994) Shanghai 1927–1937: Municipal Power, Locality and Modernization. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Cite this article

Chen,Y. (2025). Modern History Research-British Colonial Culture in Shanghai. Communications in Humanities Research,100,65-70.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceeding of ICIHCS 2025 Symposium: The Dialogue Between Tradition and Innovation in Language Learning

ISBN: 978-1-80590-577-6(Print) / 978-1-80590-578-3(Online)
Editor: Enrique Mallen, Heidi Gregory-Mina
Conference website: https://2025.icihcs.org/
Conference date: 26 November 2025
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.100
ISSN: 2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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