As soon as foreign merchants and entrepreneurs settled down at China's foreign settlements in 1840's, professional engineers and architects also moved there to take part in various development projects. Among the foreign settlements, Shanghai had the largest number of professional engineers and architects, who successfully established the Shanghai Society of Engineers and Architects in 1901 to contribute to the development of modern engineering in China. The first president was James Gabriel Morrison (1840-1905), followed by A.P. Wood, T. Bunt and so on. Although the members' background varied in engineering field and nationality, the number of members increased solidly to 100 in 1905 from 83 in 1901. The Society had to change its name to“The Engineering Society of Shanghai”in 1912 as architect members left the Society to form their own association. The Society published the annual proceedings to circulate the president's address, research papers on the China's modern development, members' latest projects, the reports of executive board, By-Laws and Regulations, and members' list. Therefore, the proceedings were essential source to identify the whole activities of the Society and its contribution in China's modern development. This articles attempts to argue about the role of the society through reading the contents of the proceeding.
