Real Wages and Wage Inequality in China, 1858-1936.

The article presents a summary of the academic dissertation "Real Wages and Wage Inequality in China, 1858-1936," by Se Yan of Peking University. An overview of the chapter-by-chapter structure and contents is given, noting its construction of a nominal wage series of employees in the Chinese Maritime Customs service in multiple cities. Additional subjects addressed by the work include the changes of skill premiums in Chinese workers over the period, the dynamics of the wage gap between skilled and unskilled workers, and the creation of a cost of living index.