The making of a Bund in China: The British concession in Xiamen (1852-1930)

Abstract

This paper aims to present the rise and fall of the British Concession in Xiamen (the Amoy Bund) from 1852 to 1930. The paper points out similarities between bunds and traditional littoral space in Asian ports, and describes the conflicts and compromises in making a bund in minor treaty ports in China. Due to the establishment of foreigners' land rights in modern China and the importation of western urban management in concessions and settlements, the bunds could be developed within the diverse contexts of the treaty ports. Their influence on Chinese cities was more than in determining an urban form, but also in providing contested spaces in which laissez-faire capitalism and self-government were mixed. This urban model was pursued by the Chinese government as a way to modernize cities in the early twentieth century.