跑狗是典型含有賭博性質的運動，1928年傳入上海後，一方面因娛樂性極高，廣受城市居民歡迎，一方面因其含有濃厚賭博性質，在租界及華界間引發運動與賭博的激烈爭議。華人以賭博與犯罪息息相關為由，要求租界當局關閉跑狗場；但外人受跑狗可溯及早期英國貴族狩獵活動的觀念影響，與華人看法迥異，從此雙方展開長達三年的拉鋸戰，租界政策原地踏步，跑狗事業則蒸蒸日上，為繁華的「夜上海」添入更豐富的風貌。 本文論證，這段時間租界與華界間對跑狗、運動、賭博及犯罪的豐富論述，至少在物質表徵、政治追求及觀念轉變等三方面透露出「現代性」面向，從而反映出現代上海的成型。 藉分析跑狗此一包含運動與賭博雙重性質的活動，本文一方面討論跑狗所蘊含強烈的摩登與現代感，指出「現代性」在近代上海特殊時空背景下，與帝國主義相互糾纏、難分難捨的特色；一方面分析運動與賭博的論述，指出華界、租界雙方如何試圖利用此一曖昧難定的爭議，加強自身政權的合法性，「我們要治理得比別人好！」竟成為雙方在此一爭議中的共同考量。

　　　　　Greyhound racing is a sport closely related to betting. The racing of greyhounds in pursuit of a mechanical hare first appeared in the United States in 1922 and was soon embraced by Britain in 1926. Two years later, thanks to the management and investment of British expatriates, it came into vogue in Shanghai, a Chinese metropolis with large clusters of foreigners. While greyhound racing became a great attraction, the track betting drew severe criticism from local Chinese organizations. They claimed dog racing encouraged gambling and was an incentive to crime, and thus insisted the International Settlement authorities stop it. The Settlement, controlled by British who were influenced by the fact that greyhound racing could be traced back to the sport of coursing and the hunting culture in old Britain, was reluctant to cooperate, and thus was sparked a seesaw battle between the Chinese and the British for the next three years. By analyzing the rich discourse on greyhound racing from 1928 to 1931, this paper argues that this case reveals much about the formation of modern Shanghai in material, political and intellectual aspects. On the other hand, it also reveals how the Chinese Municipality and the Settlement authorities utilized this dog-racing discourse to justify their existence – they shared the view that “we have to rule better than the others” in making their respective policies.