A Collection of Historical Documents on Taxation in the Republican Period

Abstract

phenomenon” that fostered a culture of consumption in Shanghai in the modern period. Previous studies gave intellectuals the credit for enlightening the common people, but dismissed businessmen as single-minded profit seekers. They neglected the role businessmen played in forming modern thought. This book shows that the department store, a business enterprise, also disseminated new cultural concepts and knowledge for everyday use. Popular phrases and abstract terms, such as “nuclear families,” “saving the nation,” “equality,” “democracy,” and “independence,” came to life through interpretations of consumer culture, making them more easily understood by consumers and other people. According to Kenneth Pomeranz, the author’s conclusions about the “commercialization of new cultural concepts” are the “boldest views in this book.”(1)