THE modern era is always the most amazing part of Shanghai¡¯s history for historians. There has been an abundance of works published analyzing the changes in Shanghai over the past 150 years. But it¡¯s rare for a foreign scholar to dedicate time to the study of the modernization of Shanghai.

Sponsored by Ministere Francais des Affaires Etrangeres (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the Fu Lei Publication Aid Programme, the Chinese edition of Marie-Claire Bergere¡¯s ¡°History of Shanghai ¡ª A Road to Modernization¡± was published by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Publishing House recently.

This is not the first time Bergere has paid attention to the modern history of Shanghai. Early in 1964, she published ¡°The Financial Crisis in Shanghai at the End of the Old Regime¡±. In the following years, she finished ¡°The Golden Age of the Chinese Bourgeoisie ¡ª 1911-1937¡± in 1986, ¡°People¡¯s Republic of China from 1949 to Now¡± in 1987, ¡°Sun Yat-sen¡± in 1994, ¡°Mandarin and Comprador ¡ª the Key to the Crisis in East Asia¡± in 1998, among others.

As a historian, Bergere describes her preference for Chinese modern history. ¡°When I was still a student of history at university, I found that the most attractive parts of both French and Chinese history were their modern periods,¡± she said.

Her journeys to China may be part of the reason for her preference. In 1957, as a student from the Ecole Normale Superieure de Paris (ENS, Paris Advanced Normal School), she was invited to Tian¡¯anmen Square to watch the National Day parade. After that she went to Shanghai for the first time.

¡°At that time, Shanghai had experienced the communist revolution for almost 10 years, but the emigrants and travellers from foreign countries still retained colourful memories of the old days. Though I had no relationship with Shanghai¡¯s past at that time, my curiosity for it grew. I began to be infatuated with this city which had been overwhelmed by the storm of history,¡± she recalled.

Bergere¡¯s first trip to Shanghai lasted only three days. Afterwards, she returned to the city and China for academic research and personal interest. Before her latest visit to Shanghai on June 10, she has been here 15 times. Though she spent most of her time in the Shanghai Archives and Shanghai Library to collect data for her works, she was impressed by the vigour of the city. This vigour became a useful pointer for her to follow in determining what made Shanghai so different from other cities in China in modern history.

Modernization struggle

In her books, Bergere discusses Shanghai before and after 1949. She views history as continuous and the force that governed the city¡¯s consistency was its aspiration for modernization, prompted by economic development.

As a scholar whose expertise includes the economic history of modern Shanghai, Bergere holds a firm belief in the impact of economic development.

Many scholars attribute economic development to the invasion of foreign capital and industries. Though Bergere focuses on the concessions in Shanghai as the basis for her research, she does not ignore the local factors that interacted with foreigners. ¡°Even though foreign governments once tried to reconstruct Shanghai in accordance with their wishes after it had been set up as an open port, Shanghai was still a Chinese city and Chinese were still the main population that resided in the concessions. Without co-operation from the locals no project could be finished by foreign governors. Shanghai absorbed things that Westerners brought to them and transformed them into part of this city¡¯s features. These unique features can hardly be found outside of Shanghai,¡± she said.

Bergere said that as a foreign historian, exploring the modern history of Shanghai and explaining it to people who live here is a bold move. It took six years to collect the data and to do the research for the book. She had already begun preparative work after she graduated from ENS.

¡°As a historian, I should stand upon just and fair ground,¡± she said. She confessed that compared with many Chinese historians, she has difficulty understanding Chinese traditional culture and the ideas which dominate most Chinese behaviour.

¡°Initially, this book is written for foreigners who have an interest in Shanghai. Leaving local residents¡¯ feelings for their hometown aside, I hope my research can offer them some new angles to view their history and question parts they never questioned before. In contrast to what they sense about this city, this book provides them with the conclusions of a researcher, not a witness,¡± Bergere said.

Both Chinese and foreign readers will see the modern history of Shanghai from many new angles. ¡°Some scholars would ... ascribe the modernity of Shanghai to the variety of cultures gathered together here, but that is still a restricted type of cultural studies. I¡¯ve tried to take a much more comprehensive approach to the modern history of Shanghai in my book, introducing political and economic analysis. For example, I¡¯ve discussed the different political ideas brought to Shanghai by different colonists, such as the French and English. Also, while making use of the academic achievements of culture studies, such as data provided by my friend Leo Ou-fan Lee, these only serve as one possible way to understand part of modern Shanghai, not the whole history,¡± she said.

Unlike previous books, which concentrate solely on Shanghai¡¯s path to modernization, Bergere reveals the unique character of this city¡¯s modernity, with its drastic development. The author indicates this modernity was a composition of different forces. Foreign governors and immigrants from different countries, local residents and local government, were all indispensable parts. For example, she compares the French Concession with the International Settlement, concluding that ideas of market economics and modern enterprise management bloomed in the latter, while ideas about protecting religions and public interests were more prevalent in the former, changing the local bureaucracy system a lot. The result of such differences was that the economic centre of Shanghai grew in the International Settlement while French colonists and immigrants accelerated the emergence of a unique ¡°Hai Pai¡± (¡°Shanghai-style¡±) culture.

Having spent much time in both Shanghai and Western countries and discussed her views with scholars holding different political and economic views, Bergere has tried neither to overrate nor underrate the roles that both foreigners and local residents played in the modern history of Shanghai. ¡°Some of my Chinese colleagues may be prone to accept certain political stereotypes when they review the old days of Shanghai, so as a spectator from outside I can sometimes offer them new ideas, while trying to escape the cliches that prevail among some Western scholars,¡± she said.

Bergere indicated that this may be her last visit to Shanghai because of her advancing age. ¡°As a traveller, I would say that Shanghai is a very modern city and is in this way no different to other metropolises. But in the past 50 years, I have observed it as a historian, I experienced both turbulent days and tranquil days in the city. These give me a totally different way to approach it and find its unique characteristics,¡± she added.

Her knowledge of Shanghai¡¯s modern history has earned her the sobriquet ¡°Shanghainese¡± from her long-time colleagues.