Page 83 - 《近代史研究》2021第五期
P. 83

Modern Chinese History Studies


                                                       No. 5đ2021



                 Qu Qiubai and the Chinese Translation for “Hegemony”͇ A Revolutionary Journey of the
                     Hegemony Concept in China ̵ 1923 -1927̶ …………………………………                Li Fangchun̵ 4̶

                 The CPC's Strategic Decision and the South Expedition of the No. 359 Brigade of the Eighth Route
                     Army   ………………………………………………………………………                               Huang Zhenglin̵ 19̶
                     After the Japanese launched the Operation Ichi-go in April 1944đthe CPC Central Committee adopted the South
                 Strategyđaiming to establish an Anti-Japanese Base in the border area between Hunan and Guangdong. If successfulđit
                 would link the CPC's base areas in northernđcentral and southern China together. To set this strategy in motion đthe CPC
                 Central Committee ordered the No. 359 Brigade of the No. 120 Division to go on an expedition to the south. The task of the
                 No. 359 Brigade was two-pronged͇ firstđit was expected to escort CPC cadres to the No. 5 Division of the New Fourth Army
                 at the border area between Hubei and Henan͈ and secondđit was tasked to establish a base area along the borders between
                 Hunan and Guangdong. When the No. 359 Brigade finally arrived at the border area between Hunan and Guangdongđ
                 howeverđthe Japanese had announced its surrender. So the task to establish an anti-Japanese base area there became out of
                 the question. To pressurize the KMT to carry on with the peace negotiation in Chongqingđthe CPC Central Committee
                 decided to voluntarily withdraw its troops from GuangdongđHenan and all the other provinces in between. This was a
                 testament to the flexible strategic decisions of the CPC Central Committee around the time of the victory of the Resistance
                 Warđwho timely adjusted its strategy according to changes of domestic and international situations. When the South
                 Strategy became unfeasibleđit shifted its strategic focus to China's Northeastđa move that turned out to be a success.

                 In Pursuit of Taxation Equity for the Peasants͇ Patriotic Grain Collection in the Shandong Anti-
                     Japanese Base Area ……………………………………………………………                          Zhou Zuwen̵ 34̶

                 Big Farmers vs Small Farmers͇ Debate on the Optimal Scale of Agriculture in the Late Qing and
                     the Republic of China …………………………………………………………                         Li Jinzheng̵ 51̶
                     Under the circumstances of collision and communication between China and the West in the modern erađthe Chinese
                 society in general and the Chinese academia in particular consistently engaged in the debate on the optimal scale of Chinese
                 agriculture during the late Qing and the Republic of China. The debate witnessed a transition from the dichotomy of big
                 farmer vs small farmer to the juxtaposition of large-scale farming and subsistence farming. Debate on the pros and cons of
                 large-scale farming and subsistence farming was especially heated. Specificallyđpeople at the time were increasingly
                 concerned about the prospect of subsistence farming. In contrastđmost people viewed large-scale farming as the only way
                 forward. To realize large-scale farmingđsome people initially put their hope in commercial farms while others soon believed
                 that cooperatives would carry the day. Some advocated large-scale farmingđbut they viewed the American-style ranch and
                 the Soviet Collectivized Farm model with reservation. As a matter of factđlarge-scale farming was a nonstarter in China at
                 the time and the very dominance of subsistence farming largely persisted. Due to this realityđsome people came to believe
                 that subsistence farming still had its merits and then oppose the introduction of large-scale farming. This debate mirrors the
                 complexities surrounding the Chinese perceptions on the optimal scale of agricultural production at the time.

                 Irrigation ProjectsđPolitics and Local Society͇ A Case Study on the Yuanyangchi Reservoir in the
                     Period of the Republic of China …………………………………………                 Zhang Jingping̵ 67̶
                     Built in 1947 in Jinta County of Gansu ProvinceđYuanyangchi Reservoir was the first modern earth-dammed reservoir
                 in China. Yuanyangchi Reservoir was originally built to cope with the local crisis triggered by irrigation-related disputes.
                 Howeverđthe political process that endorsed this project was full of setbacks. Proponents of this project finally won the day
                 by taking advantage of the government's Northwest Policy and Chinese authorities' preoccupation with“maintaining solidarity
                 with the rear base”during the Resistance War against Japanese Aggression. During the building of the reservoirđlocal
                 gentries used their local influences to actively engaged in social mobilization effortsđmirroring the transition of organizing
                 Chinese irrigation projects from a traditional mode to a modern one. During the implementation of this projectđtechnicians
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