This Week in China - The Last Emperor Abdicates

This Week's Historical Theme: China

 

12 February 1912

 

A significant event throughout the history of China that occurred in February was the last emperor's abdication. Hsian-T'ung was forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution. A provisional government was established in his place, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only 6 years old, was allowed to maintain his residence in Beijing's Forbidden City in exile. He took the name of Henry Pu Yi and was granted a large government pension. In 1934, Pu Yi was enthroned as K'ang Te, emperor of Manchukuo. He would hold onto this title until 1945, when he was captured by Soviet troops.

 

In 1946, Pu Yi testified before the Tokyo war crimes tribunal that he had been an unwilling tool of the Japanese and not, as they had claimed, an instrument of Manchurian self-determination. Manchuria and the Rehe province were returned to China, and in 1950, Pu Yi was handed over to the Chinese communists. He was imprisoned at Shenyang but was granted amnesty by Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1959. After his release, he worked in a mechanical repair shop in Peking. He married in 1962 to Li Shuxian, but died five years later, and was buried near the Western Qing tombs in a commercial cemetery.

 

Want to find out more about Pu Yi? Click here for more information, or here for more about the wider history of China.

October 16 - The Long March Begins

This Day in History: 16 October 2020 

 

16 October 1934 

 

86 years ago, today, the Long March between the Nationalists and the Chinese Communists began. Beginning at 5:00pm, they confused the Nationalists with their secrecy and rear-guard actions, so that it was several weeks before they realised that the Red Army had fled. This retreating force initially consisted of 86,000 troops, and marchedat night, when the enemy was not near. However, the first disaster came in November, when the Nationalists blocked the Communists' route across the Hsiang River, but they were able to overcome it. After enduring starvation, and aerial bombardment, Mao halted his army at the Great Wall of China a year later, ending the Long March.  

 

The Chinese Civil War had begun between the Nationalists and Communists in 1927. Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the Communists employed guerrilla tactics to resist successfully the first four campaigns. However, in the fifth, Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalists, raised 700,000 troops to resist the communists. The Long March was the longest continuous march in the history of warfare and marked the emergence of Mao Zedong as the undisputed leader of the Chinese Communists. The Chinese Civil War resumed in 1945, and four years later, the Nationalists were defeated. Mao proclaimed the People's Republic of China and served as its chairman until his death in 1976. 

 

Want to find out more about the Long March? Click here for more information, or here for an animated video about the Chinese Civil War.  

September 9 - The Death of Mao Zedong

This Day in History: 9 September 2020

 

9 September 1976

 

44 years ago, today, Mao Zedong died. He had led the Chinese people through a long revolution and ruled the nation's communist party from its establishment in 1949. The leader's health had declined in his last years, most likely aggravated by his heavy chain-smoking. During his later years, it became a state secret that he suffered from multiple lung and heart problems. There are unconfirmed reports that he had Parkinson's disease, as well as Lou Gehrig's disease. Mao's body was embalmed, and one million Chinese paid their final respects by crying. More than a week later, his body was taken in a minibus to a hospital, where his internal organs were preserved in formaldehyde.

 

Mao's early days as a communist had not been easy, as he constantly feared arrest and execution by Chinese government forces. However, in 1935, he was able to take control of the Chinese Communist Party, which won the Chinese Civil War. Throughout his rule, he was invested in reinvigorating the nation with the Cultural Revolution in the mid-1960s. Thousands of Chinese were killed or imprisoned by Mao's young supporters, named the Red Guards. Meanwhile, Mao was seeking closer relations with the Americans than the Soviet Union, as he hoped to use them as allies in his battles against the Soviets, taking a dramatic turn in the Cold War.

 

Want to find out more about the life of Mao Zedong? Click here for more information, or here for a video about China's Cultural Revolution.

Sima Qian - Chinese Historian

A fascinating article this morning from the BBC about Siam Qian, who as the "Grand Historian" wrote a 2500 year history of his country (in the 1st Century BC). What is most interesting about him however is that in 99BC he wrote in support of a general who had been forced to surrender after a military defeat. This was considered an act of treason by the emperor and he was given a stark choice - death or torture. He chose torture so that he could complete his book - he believed it was his duty to his future audience to ensure his work of history, which also contained many starkly honest appraisals of China's emperors, was completed for posterity.

Sima Qian's story is told as part of a Radio 4 series on Chinese historical figures. You can read more about them and download podcasts, here.

Paxman on China

Happy Chinese New Year!

To mark the Year of the Dragon, here is an excellent piece by Jeremy Paxman (who is visiting China for Newsnight). He observes how many in modern China (particularly in the big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai) are driven by the desire to make money and increase their status, and turn a blind eye to some of the more repressive aspects of the country (for now, at least).

You may also find these articles of interest - about Chinese corner shops, and fake boyfriends.

China Trip

At the beginning of the holiday, Nonsuch HP was lucky enough to be part of the 2011 trip to China. It was a fantastic adventure, covering a huge range of experiences from the historic Forbidden City in Beijing to the bustle and glamour of Shanghai's skyscrapers. Here's a brief outline of some of the things that we did:

Beijing
Monday: Fly in from Heathrow via Dubai, check in to Hotel, street life in Beijing while en route to dinner and supermarket!



Tuesday: Great Wall of China (Badaling section), Jade workshop, Summer Palace, Olympic Stadium, Roast Duck Dinner



Wednesday: Queue for Chairman Mao's mausoleum, Tiananmnen Square, Forbidden City, Pearls Display (and supermarket!), Temple of Heaven, serious shopping in the market, railway station for Xian

Xian


Thursday: Overnight train to Xian, check in to 5 star hotel, cycling on city walls, lunch and art gallery, Big Goose Pagoda (Buddhist temple), Grand Mosque, Dumpling Dinner and Tang Dynasty show (traditional singing and dancing, etc)

Friday: Terracotta Warriors and museum, lunch, visit workshop to see reproduction of warriors in clay, Xian station for trip to Suzhou


Suzhou
Saturday: Overnight train, breakfast in Suzhou park (joining elderly residents with their Tai Chi!), Humble Administrator's garden, flower and animal market, lunch, check in to hotel, visit silk factory, canalside walk through traditional Pingjiang district and visit to Pingjiang lodge, dinner in teahouse and night time show in the Master of the Nets garden.



Shanghai
Sunday: Bus from Suzhou to Qiandeng canal district, visit temple and ride on canal boat. Arrive in Shanghai and lunch in Date Tree vegetarian restaurant. Visit Shanghai Urban Planning exhibition hall (including huge model of the city). Check in to Holiday Inn, dinner then river cruise to see Shanghai at night.







Monday: Bus tour of Pudong skyscrapers, walking tour along Bund. Dim Sum lunch, tea ceremony and shopping in Yuyuan Bazaar. Walk through French quarter then return to hotel. Farewell dinner then visit to Shanghai gallery of Modern Art and rooftop bar on Number 3, the Bund with spectacular views.



Tuesday: Early rise, drive to the airport and home to Heathrow with brief Starbucks stop in Dubai.

As you can see we were kept pretty busy! Many thanks to Ms Hartley for organising the trip and to Greg Stoneham and his team for guiding us so expertly. If trip members think something has been left out, please let us know.

Summer Holidays

The Summer Holidays are almost upon us, and we would like to wish everyone a happy and safe break. Posts will be a bit sporadic over the next few weeks but hopefully we will be able to send a few reports from the China Trip. If there is anything else that you think deserves coverage, please let us know.

See you in September!

Mao's Famine

On Wednesday the Samuel Johnson Prize, awarded to what is considered to be the best non-fiction book of the year, went to "Mao's Great Famine" by Frank Dikotter. The book explores how up to 45 million people died of hunger between 1958 and 1962 due to the terrible economic mismanagement of the country following Mao's "Great Leap Forward" programme. Dikotter blames Mao personally for this, believing he had little interest in saving the lives of his countrymen. He is quoted as saying, "it is better to let half of the people die so that the other half can eat their fill." Dikotter has been able to use a Chinese archives not previously accessed by historians to piece together this tragedy. One of the judges said, "This book changed my life - I think differently about the 20th century than I did before...We feel we know who the villains of the 20th century are – Stalin and Hitler. But here, fully 50 years after the event, is something we did not know about. It's a testament to the power of non-fiction, that it can rock you back on your heels."

You can read a review of the book here, and more about the Samuel Johnson Prize here, which was also featured on last night's Culture Show on BBC2.

PS: Here is a list of the previous Samuel Johnson prize winners for those looking for holiday reading (especially personal statement writers!)

2010 Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick
2009 Leviathan, or the Whale Philip Hoare
2008 The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Kate Summerscale
2007 Imperial Life in the Emerald City Rajiv Chandrasekaran
2006 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare James Shapiro
2005 Like a Fiery Elephant Jonathan Coe
2004 Stasiland Anna Funder
2003 Pushkin: A biography T.J. Binyon
2002 Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 Margaret Macmillan
2001 The Third Reich: A New History Michael Burleigh
2000 Berlioz: Servitude and Greatness David Cairns
1999 Stalingrad Antony Beevor

Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year! Today is the start of the Year of the Rabbit, and Chinese communities across the world will be busy celebrating. Special dumplings and spring rolls will be eaten, and children will be given given "lucky money". You can read more about the customs here, and a great overview of the history of China here. There is plenty of information about Modern Chinese history here and here is a useful timeline.

Challenger

Today is the 25th anniversary of the explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle. All 7 members of its crew were killed and the disaster was a major setback for the USA's space programme. The disaster was particularly memorable as millions of people around the world watched it happen live on television. This was partly because one of the astronauts was a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, who had been selected and trained to inspire students to take an interest in NASA's work. Many schools took an interest in the launch, which was beamed live to many classrooms. Nonsuch HP remembers very clearly watching the footage on Newsround the next day. This BBC article examines how Americans reacted to the tragedy.











President Obama's recent reference to a "Sputnik Moment" in his State of the Union address shows America's continuing fascination with space exploration. It will be interesting to see if competition from China (who last month, just as America's Secretary of Defence was visiting, unveiled their latest "stealth" jet fighter) will encourage a new "space race" to develop.

PS: You can read more about Sputnik (and hear it!) here and here on Nasa's history pages.

Liu Xiaobo - Nobel Peace Prize Winner

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today...to an empty chair. The chairman of the Nobel committee placed the prize and citation on the chair because it was supposed to be given to Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese writer and pro-democracy activist, but he is currently in prison in solitary confinement for his activities. His wife and his relatives were also prevented from attending. The last time the prize was awarded in this way was in 1936, when the German writer Carl von Ossietzky was barred by the Nazi authorities. The award was also dedicated to the "Lost souls of 4 June" - a direct reference to the Chinese crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989. This has obviously not impressed China, who boycotted the event and encouraged 18 others to do the same. The attention that has been brought to Mr Liu's plight and China's ongoing dubious record regarding political freedoms shows the value that the Peace Prize continues to have. President Obama, who received the award last year, agreed, saying that Mr Liu "was far more deserving of the award than I was." and calling for his immediate release.

PS: Here are profiles of Mr Liu from the BBC and here is a petition you can download from Amnesty International calling for his release.

Chinese Celebrations

Thursday marks the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party's rule in China. This article shows how they have been preparing for the celebrations, and also remarks on how much change has taken place. Clearly there has been significant economic progress as the party has embraced many (capitalist) reforms, but also considerable suffering, as seen during the Cultural Revolution, the Great Famine of the 1950s and the crackdowns after the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The Communist Party is now prepared to admit that mistakes were made, and that Chairman Mao was about "70% Correct" but it is unlikely they will encourage a full assessment of China's recent history.

PS: Here is the China Daily's official coverage of the celebrations. For alternative points of view, here is the BBC's Beijing correspondent's final thoughts on the country before he left his post, and Amnesty International's Chinese Issues website.

PS: Here is John Simpson's report on the 60th Anniversary celebrations, and links to other articles on China.

Tiananmen

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the Chinese crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. It is still unclear what exactly happened that night or how many people lost their lives, but it marked the end of the Chinese democracy movement and shocked the world. More information from the BBC, including a timeline, can be found here. There is no reference to the anniversary at the China People's Daily Website.

We will look at other important anniversaries from 1989 in the months to come.