Dwelling in the World: Family, House, and Home in Tianjin, China, 1860-1960

In the early twentieth century, the treaty-port city of Tianjin was a cosmopolitan and colonized city divided by nine foreign concessions. Elizabeth LaCouture's book "Dwelling in the World" explores how the intimate ideas and practices of the modern home shaped the gender and status identities of Tianjin's urban elites, challenging Euro-American historical notions of the private sphere. It recasts Chinese social and cultural history, offering new perspectives on gender and class, colonialism and empire, visual and material culture, and technology and everyday life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 10 August 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

By the early twentieth century, the vibrant city of Tianjin, located in the northern treaty-port, had become a melting pot of diverse cultures and nationalities. Spanning across nine foreign concessions, Tianjin was one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, offering its residents a unique experience of global exploration. In just a matter of hours, one could leisurely stroll from a charming Chinese courtyard house to a serene Japanese garden, passing by a French Beaux-Arts bank and ending the day with a delightful meal at a German café before retiring to a cozy semi-attached brick house reminiscent of a British garden city.

The city's diverse population reflected its status as a hub of international trade and commerce. Chinese residents, along with immigrants from various European countries, Japan, and the United States, coexisted in harmony, creating a tapestry of diverse cultures and traditions. The city's architecture, too, reflected its cosmopolitan nature, with a mix of European styles, Chinese influences, and modern designs.

However, beneath the surface of this cosmopolitan city lay a deeper exploration of family, house, and home. Elizabeth LaCouture's book, Dwelling in the World, delves into the intricate relationship between these three aspects of urban life and the changing dynamics of Tianjin during the fall of the Qing Empire and the rise of a colonized city.

LaCouture argues that the modern home, with its intimate ideas and practices, played a crucial role in shaping the gender and status identities of Tianjin's urban elites. She challenges the notion that the private sphere emerged solely from industrialization and instead suggests that concepts of individual property rights that emerged during the Republican era became foundational to state-society relations in early Communist housing reforms and in the current middle-class real estate boom.

Through a comprehensive analysis of diverse sources, including municipal archives, womens magazines, architectural fieldwork, social surveys, and colonial records, LaCouture recasts Chinese social and cultural history, offering fresh perspectives on gender and class, colonialism and empire, visual and material culture, and technology and everyday life.

In conclusion, the city of Tianjin, with its rich history and diverse population, served as a testament to the power of globalization and the impact of colonialism on urban life. Dwelling in the World by Elizabeth LaCouture provides a valuable insight into the complex relationship between family, house, and home and sheds light on the ways in which these aspects of urban life have shaped the identities of Tianjin's urban elites and contributed to the broader history of China and the world.

Weight: 514g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231181792