To a degree uncommon among Chinese cities, Republican Shanghai had no centre. Its territory was divided among three (sometimes more) municipal governments integrated into various national states and empires. No government building or religious institution gave Shanghai a 'centre'. Yet amidst deep cleavages, the city functioned as a coherent whole. What held Shanghai together? The authors of this book's answer is that a group of middlemen with myriad connections across political and social boundaries created networks which held Republican Shanghai together.