The University of Chicago Presents | Sincere: A Retail Revolution And Wholesale Social Change
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Exhibition:
The University of Chicago campus in Hong Kong curates "Sincere: A Retail Revolution And Wholesale Social Change” to discover the remarkable story of Hong Kong’s first Chinese-owned department store, founded in 1900. This exhibition explores how Sincere transformed everyday shopping and reshaped modern urban life.
Talk:
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Sincere Talk: A Retail Revolution And Wholesale Social Change
In 1900, Ma Yingbiao (aka Ma Ying-piu 馬應彪, 1860-1944) opened the world’s first Chinese-owned department store: Sincere (先施), originally based at 172 Queen’s Road Central in Hong Kong. Over the following decades, Sincere would open stores in 14 other Chinese cities, while the stores themselves added restaurants, movie theaters, and other entertainment; the company also expanded into manufacturing, shipping, insurance, and other activities. Sincere’s success inspired imitators, leading to the emergence of four national department store chains that transformed patterns of consumption and leisure in urban China. Join us to learn how department stores revolutionized retailing and were part of creating a modern society, with new choices, new media, new entertainment, and new challenges.
Speaker
Kenneth Pomeranz
University Professor of Modern Chinese History and the College
Faculty Director, The University of Chicago campus in Hong Kong
In-person Event Program
6:15 – 6:30 pm Guest check-in
6:30 – 8:00 pm Talk
8:00 pm Event ends
*Kindly note that no parking spaces are available on campus.
Online Webinar
Dec 9, 2025 (Tuesday)
6:30 pm Hong Kong | Beijing | Singapore
4:00 pm Delhi
11:30 am Paris
10:30 am London
7:30 pm Japan
4:30 am Chicago
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