Everyday life in the puppet state: A study of ordinary people’s experiences in Manchukuo by Qiunan Li School of East Asian Studies The University of Sheffield A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2018 1 Abstract This thesis explores the experiences of ordinary people living under Japanese occupation in Manchukuo from 1932 to 1945. By examining the harsh nature of colonial rule and the impact on the people, this dissertation shows the multiple ways in which the everyday life of ordinary people was influenced by the various upheavals and hardships. This research mainly uses newspapers, primary published materials, documents, compilations, dictations and other Chinese language sources. This thesis thus establishes a detailed account of the sufferings that colonial subjects encountered in their daily lives and the coping methods that they employed to circumvent them. The experiences of the people were highlighted through the role of education, access to and rationing of goods, the sense of homelessness in the midst of ongoing housing crises, as well as sanitation and hygienic issues, which constituted altogether the core aspects of the everyday life of the people. In essence, ordinary people of Manchukuo lived a life overwhelmed by shortages, misfortunes and difficulties. Focusing on both rural and urban areas, this thesis argues how the people of Manchukuo were passive in face of the various policies implemented by the regime, but yet active in face of the hardships that followed. This sense of passivity, or the general lack of initiative, demonstrates in fact how motives of self-protection and survival beneath the acts of superficial compliance directed the people’s everyday life in Manchukuo. With the current literature’s emphasis on the economic and social structures of the puppet state, this thesis seeks to fill the gap by recognizing the importance of the everyday experiences of the colonial subjects. 2 Acknowledgements This thesis has been a long and wonderful journey for which I owe a great deal of thanks to many individuals who helped me along the way. To begin with, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr Kim Seung-Young for his continuous support and guidance throughout my research, even after his departure from Sheffield. It was his encouragement that led me to take on this project upon the completion of my Masters’ degree in the first place, and it would have all been impossible without his patience, motivation and knowledge. My sincere thanks also go to Dr Marjorie Dryburgh for supervising my thesis during its final stages. Not only have her insightful comments and immense knowledge helped me in shaping my thesis, but also allowed me to hone my skills as a historian, for which I am deeply grateful. Over the four years of writing, I was also privileged to receive help on my research from many within my department. I would particularly like to express my thanks to Professor Tim Wright, Professor Glenn Hook and Dr Mark Pendleton for their comments and encouragements that helped me formulate my ideas and also incented me to see my research from different perspectives. A word of thanks goes to my fellow PhD colleagues Misha, Nicolas and Euysuk for their advice and help. Most of all, I want to especially thank Nathalie Mingboupha. This thesis was only made possible with her patient support, help, encouragement and sacrifices on all levels, for which I will always be extremely grateful and indebted. Thank you for taking the time to read multiple drafts of my thesis and providing me with invaluable suggestions despite being busy with your own PhD. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family, who gave me unwavering support both emotionally and financially since the very beginning. If not for their faith in me I never would have succeeded. 3 Explanatory Note For the usage of Chinese, this thesis uses the standardized Pinyin system to transliterate Chinese names and places in most cases, with the few exceptions of well-known terms such as Hsinking instead of Xinjing, Dairen instead of Dalian, Kwantung instead of Guandong, and Manchukuo instead of Manzhouguo. Japanese names and locations are transliterated through the standardized Hepburn system, for which diacritical marks on the spelling of words were omitted to facilitate reading. 4 Table of Contents Chapter One – Introduction ....................................................................................... 7 1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 7 1.2. Chinese Literature ..................................................................................... 14 1.3. English Literature ...................................................................................... 20 1.4. Imperialism and Colonialism as a Dual Conceptual Framework ............... 29 1.4.1. Background ....................................................................................... 29 1.4.2. An Overview of Imperialism and Colonialism in China ..................... 31 1.4.3. The Unique Japanese Way ................................................................ 34 1.5. Sources ...................................................................................................... 40 1.5.1. Primary datasets ............................................................................... 40 1.5.2. Interviews ......................................................................................... 42 1.6. Structure of the thesis .............................................................................. 50 Chapter Two – Suffering Youths ............................................................................... 53 2.1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 53 2.2. Long “lived” the Empire of Japan .............................................................. 58 2.3. Acclimatizing the Bushido spirit ................................................................ 80 2.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 100 Chapter Three – The Fulfilment of Basic Needs .................................................... 102 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 102 3.2. Times of Hardship ........................................................................................ 105 3.3. Empty Showcases and Personal Connections .............................................. 129 3.4. Holiday Rationing and the Year 1940 ........................................................... 143 3.5. The Downward Spiral ................................................................................... 152 3.6. The Compulsory Grain Sale Policy and Rural Society ................................... 158 3.7. Conclusion .................................................................................................... 173 Chapter Four – “Homelessness” ............................................................................ 176 4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 176 4.2. Displacements of Peoples and Forced Migrations ....................................... 178 4.3. The Rise of Urban “Image Projects” ............................................................. 198 5 4.4. Landlords, Tenants, and the Escalation of Housing Shortages ..................... 208 4.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................... 218 Chapter Five – Health and Hygiene ....................................................................... 221 5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 221 5.2. The Outbreak of the Manchurian Plague ............................................... 223 5.3. Sanitation and Disease Control ............................................................... 228 5.4. Doctors, Charlatans and Treatments ...................................................... 247 5.5. Opium ..................................................................................................... 264 5.6. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 274 Chapter Six – Conclusion ....................................................................................... 277 Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 292 Primary – Periodicals .......................................................................................... 292 Primary – Published ............................................................................................ 293 Secondary – English Language ............................................................................ 304 Secondary – Non-English Languages .................................................................. 316 Appendix ................................................................................................................ 321 Appendix 1: List of interviewees ......................................................................... 321 Appendix 2: Qing qiushu (Request Letter) .......................................................... 322 6 Chapter One – Introduction