上海开埠后，西方人引入了一种新型社交方式和社会机构组织形式——总会和俱乐部（club）。总会和俱乐部具有排斥性和约束性的特征，但也在娱乐和休闲之余，因此催生了活跃而多元的社交活动。作为殖民时代的产物，这种社交模式吸引了在华外国人和中国本土精英阶层的参与，但它对于改造中国传统的社交方式，塑造中国社会的城市性和现代性起到了重要作用。迄今为止，国内关于西方社交机构的专门研究依然稀少。研究近代上海丰富多彩的总会或俱乐部的历史，结合其"半殖民地"的时代性质，可以讨论俱乐部社交活动的影响。同时，对于近代上海总会或俱乐部的研究，也有助于理解当前全球化时代跨国精英群体的社交模式。

After Shanghai's opening to outside world, Westerners introduced clubs as a novel mode of social contact and social institution. In spite of its exclusive and restrictive features, a club has catalyzed active and various social activities in addition to entertainment. As a product of the colonial period, this social mode has attracted foreign residents and local Chinese elites in modern Shanghai. This helped to reform traditional Chinese modes of social contact and played a vital role in China's social urbanization and modernization. Up to now, very few studies have focused on institutions for social contact. This paper reveals the amazing history of clubs in modern Shanghai and discusses the impact of this social mode by taking their "semi-colony" feature into account. The study on clubs in modern Shanghai will also shed light on the social life of contemporary transnational elites in this global age.