Forming an in-between place: urbanisation of the Beach Ground, Xiamen (1842–1930)

This article examines the urban modernisation of Xiamen, a city located in the south-east of China, from the 1830s to the 1930s, highlighting the interplay between local initiatives and imperial powers. The Beach Ground was a core area of the Xiamen Bund, located south-west of Xiamen, and played a vital role in the maritime trade. Its planning and governance were closely linked to the establishment of the British concession (1852–1930). Taking the reclamation and embankment construction of the Beach Ground as a starting point, this article analyses how the Beach Ground transformed as an in-between place through unofficial land reclamation (before 1842), British concession planning (1842–1911), sovereignty disputes (1878–1922) and the construction of the Xiamen Bund embankment (1920s–1930s). These four vignettes provide a multi-perspective narrative of Xiamen’s regional development through the political and economic conflicts and resolutions of different stakeholders, as well as its consequences for local society. This reveals the impacts of global exchange on China’s modernisation and affirms the contribution of Indigenous knowledge and local adaptation.