As China emerges as a global powerhouse, this timely book examines its economic past and the shaping of its financial institutions. The first comparative study of foreign banking in prewar China, the book surveys the impact of British overseas bank notes on China's economy before the outbreak of...

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- List of Abbreviations -- Part I -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The Sino-Foreign Financial Grid in Prewar Shanghai -- 3 The Chartered Bank and Its Note Issue -- Part II -- 4 HSBC and Its Note Issue in Shanghai, 1866-1925 -- 5 HSBC and Its China Note Issue in the...