(International Settlements and Foreign Concessions) of East Asia

Impact Objectives • Research on the development of cities and architecture in the open ports (international settlements and foreign concessions) of East Asia • Investigate the history and architecture of the Japanese consulate, banks, schools and spinning companies How Europe, the US and Asia impacted each other’s societies Professor An-Suk Son is investigating the societal and cultural impacts of East Asian open ports. He talks about the type of research he is currently engaged in and some of the collaborations his team have created to aid their studies How did you European Popular Culture as Seen through range of different fields. For example, many become involved in the Media and the Body; Reorganization of Japanese spinning factories were expanding these investigations? Religious Services and the Establishment into Shanghai before the war - these spinning of Japanese Shrines in the Border Areas of companies left many factories and company My research began Imperial Japan; and Research on Wartime housing buildings in their wake, but in order in the field of Japan’s Propaganda Kamishibai. to investigate the substance and impact of Chinese modern these companies, it is necessary to approach history and Sino-Japanese relations history. Can you talk about your collaborations and analyse the situation from different areas However, when I was at the Diplomatic with other academic institutions and the of expertise and perspectives. Therefore, we Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs importance of these collaborations to your are looking at things from the point of view of Japan, I encountered materials related research? of history, architecture and economics, with to Shanghai and decided to devote myself a view to achieving a well-rounded picture of to Shanghai City research. After that, I Since we are studying the cities in East Asia, the impacts. focused on researching the Shanghai foreign the cooperation of many different research settlement and making use of the illustrated organisations in China, Taiwan and South What are you planning to work on next? news magazine The Young Companion, Korea is indispensable. In particular, we are which was published in the 1920s. The actively engaged in the exchange of activities For the time being, I would like to depart publication provides a fascinating insight with the History Research Institute of the from our focus on Shanghai and proceed into the societal and cultural impacts of East Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, with my research investigation that looks Asian open ports across a range of different Institute of Modern History of Taiwan at the foreign settlements of Guangzhou countries. Academia Sinica and the Academy of Chinese and Xiamen (Amoy) in South China. I am Studies of Incheon National University in particularly interested in the process by What type of research is underway at The South Korea. which the modern cultures of the west were Research Center for Non Written Cultural introduced to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, Materials at Kanagawa University in Japan? What approaches are you adopting in your and then expanded to other cities in North project? China such as Tianjin, via Shanghai. Of There are four main research projects that are course, within this process, we also expect to currently underway at our Research Center: The foreign settlements research project determine the effects of western culture on a joint research and compilation project on is important not only from the findings we Japan and the Korean Peninsula. the Multilingual Version of Pictopedia of hope to make, but also for the promotion Everyday Life in Medieval Japan; 20th-Century of joint research by experts from a wide www.impact.pub 93 Ground Plan of the Foreign Settlement at Shanghai (1855; excerpt from Shanghai Library (ed.) “Maps of Old Shanghai (Lao Shanghai Ditu)”, 2001 Shanghai Pictorial Press) Cultural impacts of East Asian port concessions and settlements A team based at The Research Center for Non Written Cultural Materials, Kanagawa University is investigating the development of cities and architecture in the open ports of East Asia, which is hoped will shed light on the effects of Western influence on Japanese society and culture It is difficult for us to imagine from the consider the impact these treaty ports had team based at the Research Center for Non vantage point of the 21st century, but it was on the countries in which they were located. Written Cultural Materials at Kanagawa not so long ago that travelling to and from University in Japan is looking at the open countries around the world required long For instance, foreigners would pour into ports of East Asia. The team is led by journeys on ships. Equally, trade between these areas where the treaty ports were Professor An-Suk Son and is specifically countries was done by carrying cargo on formed and, as a result, restaurants, interested in investigating the history and massive ships and there were an almost foreigners clubs, churches and even architecture of the Japanese consulate, unimaginably large number of shipping racecourses were built to accommodate banks, schools, hospitals and spinning routes on the seas and oceans around the these new citizens. The impact was companies. Spinning companies were those world. To accommodate trade between ultimately colonisation, with foreign powers that worked with fibres such as silk, spinning countries, there were also ports at locations essentially commandeering specific areas in them into yarn to be used in a wide range in specific countries, many of which in East China, Japan and Korea and transplanting of textiles. Of course, the period of time in Asia were opened as a result of unequal a slice of British, North American or which the team’s studies are focused was treaties with Western powers. European life. It is therefore interesting to great for industry, and spinning companies consider the cultural and societal impacts were an essential part of this. These treaty ports were often established of these arrangements and to what extent following military action, where Western they continue to exist, even though several A foreign settlement is based on a contract powers, such as the United Kingdom and the decades have passed since the closure of the where a government (such as the Japanese United States, defeated military powers in unequal treaty ports. or Chinese) transfers the operating rights China, Japan and Korea, then agreed terms within a port to a foreign entity or entities. that were extremely favourable towards THE IMPACTS OF FOREIGN SETTLEMENT When such powers as the UK or US make the successful nations. It is fascinating to It is with ideas such as this in mind that a an agreement to open a treaty port, it would 94 www.impact.pub generally include a foreign settlement, so a North China Daily News, magazines, demonstrate how each area of expertise foreign entity would essentially control an including The Far Eastern Review, pictures, (and the researchers contained within area in Japan, Korea or China. As a result, leaflets and photo books that have been those areas) can come together to generate that area, although located in the East, discovered in various archives. These findings that are more expansive than those would have significant Western influence. include the Shanghai Municipal Archives, that would be generated if they all conducted research independently. Ultimately, the findings should provide fascinating insights Our team is composed of experts from a wide range into how different cultures came together to influence and shape each other over time - of different fields, including history, architecture and and how many of these influences continue to this day. Given that the world is becoming economics increasingly globalised, it will be interesting to see the extent of homogeny and what this means for the people living in the locations The research is therefore focused on a Taiwan Academia Sinica and the Diplomatic being studied today. l wide variety of existing buildings that Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were developed during the time of foreign of Japan. Importantly, the team hopes w settlement. ‘Our team is composed of to expand the focus of previous studies experts from a wide range of different to include places such as Qingdao and Project Insights fields, including history, architecture and Guangzhou, with a view to securing a FUNDING economics,’ outlines Son. ‘We are looking comparative perspective between the The Research Center for Non Written at consulates, ports, factories, hospitals, developmental relationship of cities in North Cultural Materials at Kanagawa schools, banks, etc., that are located at the China, Central China and South China, and University was originally funded by the various concessions and settlements. It the various foreign settlements they were Ministry of Education, Culture, has been approximately 150 years since the part of. Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, foreign settlement was established, so it from fiscal 2003-2007. Since then is very surprising that the historical use of FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS the Center and the East Asian port concessions and settlements project have buildings and/or the landscape has hardly FOR FUTURE RESEARCH been sponsored by Kanagawa University changed.’ In addition to the specific research aims, in research support funding. terms of shedding some light on the societal CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EXCHANGES and cultural impacts of treaty ports more KEY TEAM MEMBERS There have been previous studies which than a century ago, the team also wants to Hiroaki Osato (Chinese History), Seizo have focused on similar ideas to that of foster relationships that will benefit other Uchida (Architecture), Masanori Tomii Son and his team. One of the key ideas modes and forms of research in the future. (Architecture) behind this research has been to look at ‘Our foreign settlements research project CONTACT the exchanges between Europe, the US is extremely important for the promotion of Professor An-Suk Son and Asia over East Asian open ports, and joint research from different fields,’ observes Team Leader how they had a significant impact on each Son.

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