Yutong Wang

Research

Research

My research explores the day-to-day policing practices of the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) and their interactions with ordinary Chinese in the Shanghai International Settlement (1911-1943). The study addresses policing practices by the SMP regarding the urban impoverished, prostitution, public indecency, and industrial concerns, through which colonial police preserved the social order and everyday operation of the Settlement. This research tries to reveal dynamics between native Chinese and colonial authorities and elaborates on the experiences of ordinary Chinese under colonial rule and the nature of British presence in China in the early twentieth century.

Apart from the core research, I am interested in the economic history of China (1800-1950) and in exploring applications of digital humanities tools in historical studies.