Wartime Economy and Culture in Chinese Daily Life, 1937-49

UC Berkeley's Center for Chinese Studies presents a two day conference on the various aspects of culture and economy that pertain to the daily lives of the Chinese people during the Sino-Japanese and Chinese Civil Wars.

Shana Brown, University of Hawaii, Manoa
Parks Coble, University of Nebraska
Susan Glosser, Lewis and Clark University
Matthew Johnson, Oxford University
Elisabeth Koll, Harvard Business School
Kubo Toru, Shinshu University
Kwan Man Bun, University of Cincinati
Sophia Lee, Cal State East Bay
Micah Muscolino, Georgetown University
Brett Sheehan, University of Southern California
Wang Chaoguang, Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Wang Di, Texas A & M University
Wen-hsin Yeh, UC Berkeley

How did people survive during the Sino-Japanese and the Chinese Civil Wars and what role did the state play in their survival? This conference will bring together scholars across fields in social, cultural, political, and economic history to examine the various aspects of culture and economy that pertain to the daily lives of the Chinese people at this time, with topics ranging from food, clothing and shelter to mobility, communication, and organization. Was there a single "War of Resistance" or "War of Liberation" or were there significant regional and other differences all across China? The conference will address, in short, the central question of a wartime Chinese culture and economy of survival as seen in the daily lives of the Chinese people.

Please note, this is a working conference for the purpose of further sharpening the themes and findings on the central question. It will be run as a discussion rather than a series of presentations. Therefore, it is recommended that those who wish to attend the workshop familiarize themselves with the papers in advance. To register for the workshop and receive the papers, please e-mail Mary Trechock at marytrechock@berkeley.edu.

Agenda

Friday, November 13, 2009

9:00-9:30: Opening remarks

9:30-12:00: Panel 1 – “Production and Consumption”

Kubo, Toru, “The Cotton Industry under the War Economy in Free China.”

Kwan, Man Bun, “Salt in the War of Resistance”

Sheehan, Brett, “When Urban Met Rural in the Japanese Occupation: Life on an Agricultural Research Station in North China.”

11:45-12:15: Open discussion of Panel 1

2:00-5:30: Panel 2 – “Information, Propaganda, Entertainment”

Brown, Shana, “His (Chinese) Girl Friday: Female Reporters in Wartime China.”

Johnson, Matthew, “Sun Mingjing, Audiovisual Education, and the International Imagery of China’s Reconstruction.”

3:30-3:45 - Break

Wang, Chaoguang, “Film Censorship during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).”

Wang, Di, “Drinking Tea and National Fate: Teahouses and Teahouse Politics in Wartime Chengdu.”

5:15-5:45: Open discussion of Panel 2

Saturday, November 14, 2009

9:00-11:30: Panel 3 – “Mobility and Displacement”

Coble, Parks, “Trauma and Displacement in Wartime China, 1937-1945: The Experience and Economics of Wartime Mobility.”

Koll, Elisabeth, “China on the Move: Railroad Passenger and Freight Transportation during Wartime.”

Muscolino, Micah, “Stories of Survival: Refugees and Environment in Henan, 1938-1947.”

11:15-11:45: Open Discussion of Panel 3

1:30-3:30: Panel 4 – “Food, Clothing, Shelter”

Glosser, Susan, “Life in a Dovecoat: Housing in World War Two Shanghai.”

 Lee, Sophia, “Food and Rationing in Wartime Beijing, 1937-1945.”

 3:30-4:00: Open discussion of Panel 4

 4:00-4:30: Break

 4:30-5:30: Round table discussion of major issues