THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES and Special Collections
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THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES and special collections Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace Hoover Institution Archives Stanford University longevity 1 THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES The Modern China Archives and Special Collections Ramon H. Myers Senior Fellow Emeritus, Hoover Institution and Consultant to Hoover Archives Kuo Tai-chun Research Fellow, Hoover Institution THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES 2 3 THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES The Modern China Archives and Special Collections the Republic of China (ROC), to help preserve the vast historical records In 1899, twenty-five-year-old Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry, held in that party’s archives in Taipei, Taiwan. As the longest-enduring were living in Tientsin, China, where he was the comanager of the political party in Asia, the KMT was China’s premier revolutionary party Kaiping mines. It was there that Hoover first began to study Chinese until it was defeated in 1949 by Communist Party forces and forced to language and history. In 1907 Hoover helped Stanford University relocate in Taiwan. The historic Hoover agreement provides for micro- historian Payson Treat buy books about China, especially its history, and filming the official party records, which will stay in Taiwan, along with a in 1913 Hoover donated six hundred such books, some very rare, to preservation copy. A use copy will be made available in the Hoover Stanford University. In 1919 Hoover’s interest in foreign affairs inspired Archives. him to establish the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. After When Chinese in the United States and Taiwan, including the National World War II with luck and good timing, Chinese and non-Chinese Women’s League in Taipei, learned of the KMT-Hoover cooperative public servants, military officers, engineers, journalists, scholars, and the project, they too agreed to have their materials preserved in the archives. like began donating their private papers and other materials to the (The Soong family began donating its materials to the Hoover Institution Hoover Institution, where they were to be preserved and made available Archives in 1973, followed by additional papers in April 1980 and again to interested readers. The papers of T. V. Soong are one of many preemi- in the spring of 2004.) nent collections. Americans involved in China, such as General Albert Those donations helped create the Modern China Archives and Special Wedemeyer and General Joseph Stilwell, also donated their papers to the Collections. These special collections are now being integrated with the Hoover Archives. China-related material accumulated since 1919. (Trade press materials, In 2003 the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace signed an such as published vernacular Chinese books and serials, were transferred agreement with the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT), or Nationalist Party of from the Hoover Archives to the Stanford University Libraries in 2002.) THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES 4 5 THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES The Hoover Institution’s In April 2004, T. V. Soong’s Modern China Archives and (Soong Tse-ven) family granted Special Collections permission to the Hoover Archives The Hoover Archives collects three to open nineteen file boxes that types of materials: First are gifts had been previously closed to the of private papers in perpetuity public. These new materials through deed of gift, such as the contain transcripts of high-level papers of T. V. Soong (mentioned discussions between Soong and above), an official in the National leaders of the Allies in Washing- government from 1928 to 1949. ton, D.C., between 1941 and 1944; Second are private papers on loan more than five hundred telegrams to the archives (through deposit between T. V. Soong and Chiang agreements with terminal dates), Kai-shek; and countless letters and such as the diaries of Chiang Kai- memoranda between Soong and shek and Chiang Ching-kuo. Third other individuals, both high and are agreements to collaborate on low. Also included is T. V. Soong’s the preservation of records outside private journal, which gives details the United States, such as the of the Sian (Xian) incident, during KMT-Hoover agreement to pre- which Soong and his youngest serve that party’s archival materials sister, May-ling Soong (Chiang in Taipei, Taiwan. Kai-shek’s wife), went to Sian The historical documents being in December 1936 to negotiate acquired by the Hoover Institution Chiang’s release from Chinese bring us into the inner world of warlords and the Communists. Chinese and Taiwanese leadership In December 2004 Elizabeth thinking, including difficulties Chiang deposited in the Hoover resolving their conflicting beliefs Archives the handwritten diaries of and why they chose conflict Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching- over peace. kuo (father and son and former After the Sian incident, during which Chinese warlord Zhang Xueliang kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek, the warlord apologized. Chiang, however, on December 27, 1936, writes in his diary that, after returning to Nanjing, Zhang forced him to reform the government and showed no remorse for the kidnapping. THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES 6 7 THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES nineteenth century against the In this memorandum from Manchu dynasty and the rise of General Joseph Stilwell to T. V. Soong, dated December 23, 1942, the KMT, including its struggle to Stilwell criticizes the Chinese unify and modernize China, Expeditionary Force in India. (T. V. culminating in the party’s defeat Soong papers, Box 62) and subsequent move to Taiwan in 1949. KMT records during the next half century reveal presidents of the ROC) until a suit- how the party reinvented itself able presidential library can be built to build a productive market in China. For the first time in economy, establish an electoral Chinese history, we have a firsthand democracy, and improve the lives record of the most powerful indivi- of Taiwan’s people. duals in government ruminating The materials mentioned above about their political life and the add to an already impressive col- great events of their times. (These lection of personal papers received diaries are on loan for preservation in the past half century by the purposes and must be screened Hoover Archives, including those prior to opening.) The archives also has an agree- Opposing the Soviet Union Chiang Kai-shek’s confidential dispatch to Madame Chiang and T. V. Soong, March 12, 1943, ment with Madame Cecilia Koo, (Zhongguo Funiu Fangong Kang- describes President Roosevelt’s reflections about improving Sino-American military coopera- chair of the National Women’s Er Lianhehui). In 1996 this tion. (T. V. Soong papers, Box 64) League of the Republic of China in organization was renamed the Taipei, where Hoover will micro- National Women’s League of the the KMT signed an agreement of Tang Fei, former premier of film its documents and special Republic of China. The new whereby the Hoover Institu- the ROC government and former materials. This remarkable organi- organization not only promoted tion would microfilm the three commander of that country’s zation, originally founded by talented women but helped million odd documents of the Ministry of Defense, and distin- Madame Chiang Kai-shek in 1934 thousands of women describe their party archives, provide an original guished cabinet minister Wei and called the Women’s Committee individual and family lives. Those microfilm copy to the KMT, and Yung, many of whose papers of the New Life Movement, writings thus document a history retain a copy at the institution; describe the reforms that took promoted women’s education and of Chinese women in a society that both sides also agreed to digitize place in the ROC government social reforms. In 1950 Madame was making the transition from the records and make a copy between 1984 and 1988. Other Chiang’s organization merged with imperial rule to modernity. available to readers. The KMT papers include those of Chang the new Joint Women’s Association In 2003, the Hoover Institution Archives contains records of the Chia-ngau, a banker, founder of for Anti-Communism and and the party archives section of revolutionary struggles in the late the Bank of China, and public THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES 8 9 THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES servant; Huang Fu, a KMT high- and East, in understanding divided level official; Wang Zuorong, China, as China’s growing power economist and public servant; and importance are challenging James Wei, senior journalist; the U.S. government to cooperate Ruan Yicheng, secretary general in unprecedented ways with the of the KMT; and many others. (To examine those collections, In November 1953, Madame Chiang Kai-shek consult the reference archivist in (near left) escorted Patricia Nixon, wife of then the archives.) U.S. vice president Richard Nixon, on a tour of the Hua-Hsing Orphanage, founded by the The creation of this core col- National Women’s League of the Republic of lection coincides with a growing China. (National Women’s League Archives) scholarly interest, in both West In early 1945, Madame Chiang Kai-shek appeals to Chinese women to contribute to the war of resistance against Japan. (National Women’s League Archives) People’s Republic of China. Great divided China resolve their differ- changes have also occurred within ences and not repeat the tragedies Taiwan, especially during the past of the twentieth century? To help fifteen years. Thus, in both Chinas, answer that question, scholars new forces are changing beliefs and researchers can call on the and institutions. Modern China Archives and Thus, the salient question is, Special Collections of the Hoover Can today’s leaders and elites in Institution Archives. THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES 10 11 THE MODERN CHINA ARCHIVES Modern China’s History: Will It Be Repeated? In November 1894, Sun Yat-sen established the Xinzhonghui in Honolulu, which began his revolu- China, the world’s oldest and tionary career.