Trained as a business and financial historian, my research interests lie in business and financial institutions. I am interested in how firms and financial organisations evolve along with their interactions with government policies, domestic legislations and local customs. My research also draws attention to business practices and examines its impact on firms’ long run performance.
My PhD project is on the Chinese Shanxi piaohao (banks), which is the largest indigenous financial institution in nineteenth century China. Draw on primary archival sources, my dissertation examines how these piaohao emerged, developed and disappeared by exploring their organisation structure and business model dynamically. My current research focuses on the Chinese monetary system during the Republican period, mainly 1916-1936. This study investigates facing a series of internal and external threats how the indirect notes issuance system evolved and operated to stabilise and centralise the note issuance rights.
Teaching 2019/2020
EH207 The Making of an Economic Superpower: China since 1850
EH401 Historical analysis of Economic Change
EH446 Economic Development in East and Southeast Asia
Meng Wu Curiculum Vitae [PDF]