Copyright by James Joshua Hudson 2015
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Copyright by James Joshua Hudson 2015 The Dissertation Committee for James Joshua Hudson Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: River Sands/Urban Spaces: Changsha in Modern Chinese History Committee: Huaiyin Li, Supervisor Mark Metzler Mary Neuburger David Sena William Hurst River Sands/Urban Spaces: Changsha in Modern Chinese History by James Joshua Hudson, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 Dedication For my good friend Hou Xiaohua River Sands/Urban Spaces: Changsha in Modern Chinese History James Joshua Hudson, PhD. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Huaiyin Li This work is a modern history of Changsha, the capital city of Hunan province, from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries. The story begins by discussing a battle that occurred in the city during the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), a civil war that erupted in China during the mid nineteenth century. The events of this battle, but especially its memorialization in local temples in the years following the rebellion, established a local identity of resistance to Christianity and western imperialism. By the 1890’s this culture of resistance contributed to a series of riots that erupted in south China, related to the distribution of anti-Christian tracts and placards from publishing houses in Changsha. During these years a local gentry named Ye Dehui (1864-1927) emerged as a prominent businessman, grain merchant, and community leader. When a massive urban riot erupted in April 1910, Ye and other gentry were accused of withholding grain from starving peasants and other disgruntled locals. At the end of the same decade, in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles ended the war in Europe but awarded German owned territory in north China to Japan. Students and activists erupted in protest in cities throughout China, especially in Changsha. The climate of urban activism that emerged by the 1920’s inaugurated an age of civic identity in the city. Activists embraced certain ideas associated with western modernity—such as Marxism— v in order to overcome western imperialism. Among the voices of dissent were young activists such as Mao Zedong (1893-1976). Students from foreign missionary schools even joined the protests. This new generation of activists published articles in the local press and other journals denouncing the West’s influence not only in Changsha, but also in communities throughout China. I also discuss the history of women in Changsha, most notably the experiences of an activist named Zhu Tierong (1915-2009). During World War II she worked with the local chapter of the YMCA to care for refugees. The war also brought intense carnage to Changsha, as much of the city was destroyed by a fire in 1938. vi Table of Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................... x List of Figures ........................................................................................................ xi Preface ..................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 9 Historiography of Modern Hunan ................................................................ 21 1-“Two Wills Clashing” ........................................................................................ 28 The Siege ...................................................................................................... 29 The Legacy of Zeng Guofan ........................................................................ 41 Secret Societies in Hunan ............................................................................. 45 Legacy of the Taiping in Changsha: Urban Form and Folklore ............... 48 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 55 2-The Conservative Tradition ............................................................................... 59 “Missionary Cases” in China ....................................................................... 59 Disturbances in Hunan ................................................................................. 62 The Case of Zhou Han ................................................................................. 67 Late Qing Reformers in Hunan ........................................................... 83 Conservative Opposition .............................................................................. 94 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 99 3-Riots and Revolutions ...................................................................................... 103 Historiography and Oral History ................................................................ 103 Hunan’s Ecology and Rice Economy ......................................................... 109 Local Politics at Play .................................................................................. 114 The Qiangmi ............................................................................................... 117 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 132 4-The Refined Watchman ................................................................................... 135 Role in the Rice Riot .................................................................................. 137 vii Early Life and Education ............................................................................ 142 Intellectual Life, Works, and the Arts ........................................................ 145 The Fire Palace and Pozi Street Controversy ............................................. 150 Supporting Yuan Shikai ............................................................................. 169 Later Years and Death ................................................................................ 171 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 175 5-Activism and Urban Identity in the 1920’s ...................................................... 178 Hunan and the Early Republican Years ..................................................... 179 Organized Labor and Foreign Influence .................................................... 188 Student Activism and Yale in China .......................................................... 189 Mao Zedong in Changsha .......................................................................... 207 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 218 6-Women in Changsha ........................................................................................ 220 Education .................................................................................................... 220 The Case of Miss Zhao ............................................................................... 227 Prostitution in Changsha ............................................................................ 231 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 242 7-Iron Lotus ......................................................................................................... 243 Zhu Tierong and Gender History ............................................................... 245 Early Life and Relief Work ........................................................................ 248 Return to China and work after 1949 ......................................................... 254 Enduring the 1950’s and After ................................................................... 267 Epilogue: Iron sharpens Iron ................................................................... 278 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 291 8-Fire Gods and Benevolent Angels ................................................................... 294 Introduction: Wartime China .................................................................. 295 Panic ........................................................................................................... 299 Aftermath ................................................................................................... 312 Relief .......................................................................................................... 318 viii Conclusion ......................................................................................... 328 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 333 Glossary of Chinese Names and Terms .............................................................. 345 Bibliography ........................................................................................................ 348 ix List of Tables Table 4-1. 1904-1910 Hunan Rice Exports (In Piculs). ................................... 113 Table 9-1. YMCA Sino-Japanese War Bombing Recovery Work in Changsha 325 x List of Figures Image 1-1. Map of Hunan province. ......................................................................