근대 아시아 해양과 과국적(跨國的) 상인 디아스포라의 형성

This study remodels history of western merchants in modern Asia, mainly in China, using the concept of “Western Overseas”. Previous studies tend to accentuate the market invasion of those group sponsored by the political interference of Western Powers, calling these western merchants and companies “Yanghang 洋行”. But it is also worthy to note that large Chinese population also entered the global market in pursuit of economic chance and repeated growth to be a powerful presence in global economy as “Chinese overseas capital”. Both merchants group could be interpreted as transnational merchant diaspora which emerged and developed in maritime Asian market newly opened by western powers. Earlier, western merchants in China accumulated wealth mainly by dealing trade of tea and opium under the advantageous circumstances of trade conditions using the political protect of Western powers. Their bases were Hong Kong and Shanghai concessions that they had acquired due to unequal treaties. However, growing competition and rapid change of trade circumstances forced traditional agency houses to be on the ebb, while only a few western company could survive with increasing fixed capital and converting main business to manufactures and communications. These western capitals played a substantial role in growth of Hong Kong and Shanghai as a cosmopolitan metropolis. On the other hand, they could have grown into global companies only with accommodating themselves with the urban growth and changing circumstances of two cities.