Navigating China's Inland Waters: German Shipping on the Yangtze River, 1898–1914

This paper examines German shipping activity on the Yangtze River between 1898 and 1914. Competition among German and other national firms in transport was fierce, and German shipping firms made an array of efforts to secure a foothold in the market, including study trips of the river, harbor development projects, participation in the Imperial Maritime Customs Service, and appeals to the German state. Yet, German shipping, dominated by localized Hanseatic interests, was not necessarily in congruence with the imperial ambitions of the German nation-state, and tensions between Chinese nationalism and provincial localism on the site of the Yangtze could be acute. In bringing attention to business participation in civil service and furthering of technological knowledge about the river to expand shipping, this paper explores how use of the river for transport of goods was negotiated by international and local actors.