Abstract
This paper investigates how the concept of "industry" was received, interpreted, and localized in early modern China from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. Drawing on historical accounts from the Self-Strengthening Movement to the New Culture Movement, it reveals how industrial ideas, initially tied to military and technological modernization, gradually evolved into a broader discourse on national progress and social reform. The study argues that this intellectual translation of "industry" laid the groundwork for the emergence of modern Chinese design consciousness. By examining the intersections between industrial policy, low-level industrialization, and cultural transformation, the paper situates China's early industrial imagination within a global context, highlighting its philosophical significance for the genealogy of modern design in East Asia.
Keywords
Industrial thought, Design modernity, Knowledge transfer, Self-strengthening movement
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2772
Citation
Wang, C., and Cao, R. (2026) Translating Industry: The Reception and Evolution of Industrial Thought in Early Modern, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2772
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Translating Industry: The Reception and Evolution of Industrial Thought in Early Modern
This paper investigates how the concept of "industry" was received, interpreted, and localized in early modern China from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. Drawing on historical accounts from the Self-Strengthening Movement to the New Culture Movement, it reveals how industrial ideas, initially tied to military and technological modernization, gradually evolved into a broader discourse on national progress and social reform. The study argues that this intellectual translation of "industry" laid the groundwork for the emergence of modern Chinese design consciousness. By examining the intersections between industrial policy, low-level industrialization, and cultural transformation, the paper situates China's early industrial imagination within a global context, highlighting its philosophical significance for the genealogy of modern design in East Asia.