Pearl of the East : The Economic Impact of the Colonial Railways in the Age of High Imperialism in Southeast Asia

This book analyzes the economic impact of the early development of railways in different Asian countries, linking the inlands with port cities and with a global network of connections. This is looked at in the context of the rise of imperialism in the last decades of the 19th century and the redistribution of spheres of influence in Asia. The book considers the increase of exports of plantation economies in the context of the global market and the importance of China, and the struggle between the great powers for the economic penetration in the Chinese empire.  Its comparative approach provides an original contribution to global economic history and will be valuable reading for students and researchers of economic history, transport economics, and Asian history more broadly.

Dídac Cubeiro Rodríguez has a PhD in history, and is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Economics, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, teaching  ‘Applied Economics in East Asia’ and ‘National and International Markets in East Asia’ on the East Asian Studies program. He also collaborates as a researcher with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Inter Asia Research Group concerning the topic of the impact of the infrastructures in the economic history of the Philippines.