"An important book that will be widely read by historians and social scientists alike. Anyone interested in modern Shanghai must read it." -- Jerry Dennerline, Amherst College Drawing on archival research and interviews conducted in Shanghei, this book describes the daily lives, occupations, and history of the Subei people -- and also examines how local origins, rather than race, religion, or nationality, came to define ethnic identities among the overwhelmingly Han population in China. Honig uncovers the roots of identity, prejudice, and social conflict that have been central to China's urban residents and that constitute ethnicity in a Chinese context.