Wartime collaboration through a collaborator’s eyes
Zhou Fohai (1897–1947) and his diary
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12670993 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dongyoun Hwang (Humanities/International Concentrations, Soka Univeristy of America, Aliso Viejo, CA, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 52-71 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Inter-Asia Cultural Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1464-9373 • E-ISSN: 1469-8447 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14649373.2023.2156118 |
| OpenAlex | W4320499312 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
This paper examines the politics and ideology of collaboration in China during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression through Zhou Fohai’s diary. It suggests that his collaboration be understood as a complex wartime phenomenon that demonstrates a different version of nationalism with an aim to alleviate pains and hardships of the people during the war and with a prospect for China’s survival and development based on anti-communism and Sun Yat-sen’s Pan-Asian idea that viewed Japan as its crucial partner. Zhou’s collaboration also needs to be approached within the context of the Guomindang’s political culture and history, as he believed that organizing a separate National Government had been an acceptable political undertaking in the party with two precedents. Later in 1984, it was published in China by Shanghai Social Science Academy as “internal publication,” covering Zhou’s diary from 1943 to 1945, in addition to that of 1940 from its Hong Kong version (Zhou Citation1984a). In 1986, under historian Cai Dejin’s editorship, Zhou’s diary from 1937 to 1945, with an omission of 1939, was published in China, this time in two volumes (Zhou Citation1986a). The diary under examination for the current study is this 1986 version. Two years later in 1991, Zhou’s prison diary that covers from January to September of 1947 was published also in China (GD Citation1991).2 For example, Zhou wrote in his diary for 29 November 1938, that he went to Wang Jingwei’s residence at 4:00 PM, where he decided with Wang, Chen Gongbo, etc., that Wang would leave for Chengdu on 8 December 1938, and then for Kunming on 11 December 1938, and that “I [Zhou] go to Kunming first and wait” for Wang. Zhou added these to the date’s entry later on 13 December 1938 in Hong Kong after defection (Zhou Citation1986a, 196).3 An example inside the GMD was Chen Bulei who, as Director of one of the sections in Chiang Kai-shek’s Chief of Staff Office, attended informal meetings of the “peace advocates” at Zhou’s residence but didn’t defect with Wang. An example outside the party was Zuo Shunsheng (1893–1969), who, according to Zhou (Citation1986a, 35), agreed with his analysis of the general situation of the time. Although Zuo had believed that China and Japan must not and could not fight each other, because the outcome of it would be undoubtedly harmful to both countries, Zuo (Citation1952, 59–60) switched his opinion later and didn’t join Zhou for defection, believing that he had to support resistance once it had become a national policy by the state’s decision.4 Around that time Chen seemed to have professed that the GMD should adopt the British and American style capitalism to develop China’s national industry (Tang Citation1989, vol. 2, 207–208, 213).5 The Japanese empire, since the 1930 Manchurian Incident, had been using its colonies and, at the same time, seeking “junior partners” to build its own bloc economy against the US and the British empire. Colonial Korea no doubt surfaced as its significant colony, so did colonial Taiwan and Manchukuo (and later Southeast Asian countries). Its goal was to take control of and exploit resources in the colonies and occupied areas to sustain its war efforts and incorporate them into Japan’s own bloc economy (Asada Citation1981).Additional informationNotes on contributorsDongyoun HwangDongyoun Hwang is Professor of Asian Studies at Soka University of America and is a co-editor (with the late George O. Totten III) of a new edition of Song of Arirang: The Story of a Korean Revolutionary in China, by Kim San and Nym Wales (forthcoming)
China · Communism · Context (archaeology · Government (linguistics · Ideology · Media studies · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Resistance (ecology · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Chinese history and philosophy · Gender Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
| Highly cited | No |
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