Available From UC Press

Careers in Shanghai: The Social Guidance of Personal Energies in a Developing Chinese City, 1949-1966 offers a penetrating exploration of how modernization influenced individual lives in post-revolutionary Shanghai, China’s largest metropolis. This in-depth study focuses on the intricate career guidance system employed by state authorities to align personal ambitions with collective goals. Through mechanisms such as education policies, youth rustication programs, job allocations, and household registration systems, the book reveals how the government channeled citizens' aspirations to meet the demands of social and economic development. Each chapter examines a distinct stage of the career journey, shedding light on the interplay between state-imposed incentives and individual agency in a rapidly evolving urban environment.

Drawing from extensive primary sources, including local newspapers, official documents, and interviews, Careers in Shanghai offers a nuanced perspective on the policies shaping urban life during this transformative period. The book situates Shanghai’s experience within the broader context of modernization in rapidly developing cities, exploring the effectiveness and implications of state-controlled career systems. With its comparative insights and detailed local analysis, this volume is an essential resource for scholars of urban studies, political science, and Chinese history, offering valuable lessons on the relationship between governance and individual trajectories in a modernizing society.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1978.