Dwelling in the World: Exploring Everyday Life in Tianjin, 1900-1950 is a groundbreaking historical study that delves into the intimate details of family, house, and home in the northern treaty-port city of Tianjin during a time of profound social, cultural, and political change.

Through a richly textured analysis of diverse sources, including municipal archives, women's magazines, and architectural fieldwork, Elizabeth LaCouture sheds new light on the ways in which the modern home shaped the gender and status identities of Tianjin's urban elites.

By challenging Euro-American historical notions that the private sphere emerged from industrialization, LaCouture argues that concepts of individual property rights that emerged during the Republican era became foundational to state-society relations in early Communist housing reforms and in today's middle-class real estate boom.

This book will captivate anyone interested in Chinese history, cultural studies, or the social and cultural history of the modern home.