Page 32 - 《近代史研究》2022年第六期

Modern Chinese History Studies

No. 6， 2022

Shifts of the CPC's Early Development Strategy and Its Growth into a Strong Mass Party
…………………………………………………………………………………… Sun Huixiu（4）

Party Document Study among CPC Cadres during the Resistance War against Japanese
Aggression ………………………………………………………………………… Jin Bowen（19）

The Conceptual Change of “National Language” and the Earliest Creation of a National Lingua
Franca during the Late Qing Dynasty ……………… Huang Xingtao and Huang Juan（34）
During the late Qing Dynasty， the traditional concept of “national language” underwent a modern shift， starting to
refer to the lingua franca of a nation state. Such a shift was galvanized by relevant thoughts and practices in neighboring
Japan. The promulgation and implementation of Guimao Educational System heralded the start of creating a national lingua
franca during the late Qing Dynasty. It grew apace after the start of Preparatory Constitutionalism. The promulgation of The
Regulations of the Setting up of Schools in Mongolian， Tibetan and Uyghur Region and The Resolution of the Unification of
National Language Passed by the Central Education Conference of the Board of Education marked the earliest concrete efforts
to create a national lingua franca in China. These efforts were under the direction of the Qing court from the very beginning
and were supported by the political elites and progressive Manchu， Mongolian and Han officials. As important reforms in
the New Deal and the Constitutional Movement in the late Qing Dynasty， these efforts have been largely neglected in the
past， however. Thanks to the persistent efforts of the Qing government in promoting the use of mandarin in both domestic
and foreign affairs， the efforts to create a national lingua franca in China have played an significant role in developing a
collective identity for the modern Chinese nation.

Argument on Rebuilding a “ Central Force” in China and the Two Rounds of Cooperation
Between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party …………… Zheng Shiqu（53）
Li Dazhao， one of the founders of the Communist Party of China （ CPC）， first proposed that the systemic
reorganization of the China rested on rebuilding a “ central force”. The CPC's deepening understanding on the “ central
force” question paved the way for the realization of the first Kuomintang-Communist cooperation. The outbreak of the
September 18th Incident in 1931 posed a grave threat to the survival of the Chinese nation. Under such circumstances，
debates on rebuilding a “central force” became heated in China. Saving the Nation Society （SNS） echoed the CPC's call to
build a national united front against Japanese aggression and shied away from the self-appointed “central force” status of the
Kuomintang and the latter's policy of “Stabilizing the Country first， Resisting Foreign Aggression later. ” By proposing that
the people should become the “central force” of China， the SNS stirred the Chinese people up to save their country from the
Japanese aggressors and provided strong public opinion for the realization of the second Kuomintang-Communist
cooperation. After the Resistance War against Japanese Aggression， the second Kuomintang-Communist cooperation also
came to an end. The self-styled status of Kuomintang as the “central force” of China bankrupted along with the Kuomintang
regime， under the ruins of which the CPC established the People's Republic of China and became the “central force” in
China， an expectation that Li Daozhao had placed on the CPC when he helped establish the party.

On the Causes of the “Kaiping Mines Incident” of Late Qing …………………… Yun Yan（71）
Kaiping Mines fell into the hands of some foreign companies during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. A long-standing
view among researchers holds that this was due to the fraudulent practices of some foreign businessmen， leaving the specific
reasons behind this event unexplained. As a matter of fact， Kaiping Mines had been facing a difficult time even before the
Boxer Rebellion and proposals for its sale or lease had been raised on several occasions. After the Eight-Nation Alliance
1 6 0