Join us for an engaging talk with Professor Lin Yu-ju titled “Commercial Resilience between the Cracks of Empires: A Leading Seafood Merchant in Southern Taiwan” on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 3:30-5:00 p.m., at Tateuchi East Asia Library 2M Seminar Room.
This talk focuses on Wang Ruzhen 王汝禎 (1880–1953), who came from a family of civil servants, and his business, the Jinyixing Firm 金義興號. It explores how Wang Ruzhen, operating from a relatively disadvantaged position, managed to build a successful business and achieve upward mobility during the regime shift from the Qing dynasty to Japanese colonial rule. The research draws on primary sources such as the Nagasaki Taiyi Firm’s documents, household registration records, newspapers, an autobiography, and travel permits to analyze the development of the Jinyixing Firm’s operations amid the shifting political and economic dynamics. Further exploring the transformation of Wang Ruzhen’s status as a merchant, and how he adapted to the new era of modern business practices, ultimately demonstrating the commercial resilience of Taiwanese merchants under colonial rule.
Lin Yu-ju 林玉茹 is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica, and a Professor of History at the National Taipei University.
Sponsored by the Tateuchi East Asia Library and the Taiwan Studies Program.