Patrons as intermediary executives: Yang Shu’s broker patronage of translation in the late Qing Dynasty

Following the First Sino–Japanese War, Japanese–Chinese translation flourished under reform-minded intellectuals and the Xinzheng Reform (institutional reforms introduced by the late Qing government). Among the translation agents, Yang Shu, Chinese minister to Japan from 1903 to 1907, emerged as an influential patron whose role has received little scholarly attention. Drawing on Lefevere’s theory of patronage, this case study examines Yang’s patronage practices in training translators, organizing and managing translation activities, and facilitating the dissemination of translated works. The findings suggest that, within a highly centralized ideological environment, patrons could construct loose yet highly effective networks through the mobilization of non-material forms of capital, thereby creating conditions conducive to innovation. The study contributes to patronage research by incorporating the concept of assemblage into a framework that integrates Latour’s actor-network theory and Bourdieu’s theory of practice. It further advances the literature by proposing the concepts of intermediary executives and broker patronage.