Reading Shenbao investigates ideas of nationalism, consumerism and individuality through the study of the most popular commercial daily newspaper in China during the first half of the twentieth century. Based on a study of Shenbao's readership, Tsai picks up themes deeply interwoven in readers' daily lives: the relationship between advertising, modern lifestyles and changing social attitudes; the introduction and growth of modern banking and personal savings; the changing role of women, particularly as consumers; the interaction between commercial publisher, newspaper...