王韜《瀛壖雜志》以方志內容與筆記形式來記錄晚清巨變的上海，而本文企圖透過分析方志與筆記特質，探討創作手法所呈現之權力象徵，並進一步討論其時代意義。
方志所代表的不只是分門別類地記錄區域，而且還以客觀中立、不證自明的方式宣告地方所有權，因此《瀛壖雜志》便有著建立主權的象徵。但是其隨筆記錄的形式，使內容難以被掌握，方志功能因而受限；此外，加上主觀情感的滲入，使得《瀛壖雜志》在一定程度上脫離客觀與普遍，而成為獨特的個人文本。於是讓具有方志內容與胸懷的《瀛壖雜志》沒有順利地完成其權力象徵與運作，更精確地說，《瀛壖雜志》帶有權力的建立與失落，這樣雙重的象徵。
本文進一步探討發現，這種雙重象徵呼應了晚清時期主權淪喪、中西混融、新舊交雜的上海，文本陳述透顯對各項事物的不確定、遊移，反而更接近上海這種轉變、複雜及多元特質，而其時代性便從這些衝突矛盾中展現出來。

Wang Tao’s Yingruan Zazhi had recorded the enormous changes of Shang-Hai during the late Qing Dynasty using local gazetteer and biji strokes. Through the features analysis of this writing style, this paper mainly attempts to explore the displayed power symbolizations, and furthermore discuss their times meanings.

The local gazetteer shows not only classified local records but also its power operations, to objectively declare the regional ownership without any demonstrations; therefore, the contents of local gazetteer in Yingruan Zazhi symbolize the supremacy constructions. But such a function cannot be developed effectively due to the uncontrolled contents in the form of biji; in addition, the permeations of subjective emotions make the Yingruan Zazhi greatly depart from objectivism and generality, also let it gradually become a unique personal text without the power symbolizations and operations. To illustrate precisely, the Yingruan Zazhi possesses twin symbolizations, they are power constructions and its losses.
Further researches also discover these twin symbolizations had just responded to the supremacy losses and conflicts between old and new things in Shang-Hai during the late Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the uncertainty and rove among old and new things described in the text should further approach the features of variation, complication and diversification in Shang-Hai, and their times features can be emerged from these contradictions and conflicts simultaneously.