The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Value of Shanghai-Style Culture: On the Essence of Shanghai's Urban Spirit
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63313/IJED.9115Keywords:
Shanghai-Style Culture, Urban Spirit, Colonial History, Comprador Culture, Immigrant Culture, Reform and Opening-UpAbstract
For a long time, Shanghai and its people have received polarized evaluations: some regard them as exclusive, shrewd, and petty; others praise them as inclusive, rule-abiding, and measured. In recent years, Shanghai has vigorously promoted Haipai culture, yet its definition remains much debated. This paper clarifies the historical origins and evolution of Haipai culture, confronting the concession era's past, examining hard entrepreneurship after 1949, reviewing rapid development since re-form and opening-up, and looking toward the mission in the new era. The study shows that Haipai culture is neither colonial culture nor comprador culture, nor simply immigrant culture. Rather, it is a unique urban cultural form rooted in Wu-Yue culture, nurtured in the convergence of Chinese and Western civilizations, grown during socialist construction, sublimated through reform and opening-up, and blossoming in the new era.
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