Re-Understanding Japan: Chinese Perspectives, 1895-1945

Description

To many Chinese, the rise and expansion of Japanese power during the years between the two Sino-Japanese wars (1895-1945) presented a paradox: With its successful modernization, Japan became a model to be emulated; yet as the country's imperial ambitions on the continent grew, it posed an ever-increasing threat. Drawing on an extraordinary array of source materials, Lu Yan shows that this attraction to and apprehension of Japan prompted the Chinese to engage in a variety of long-term relationships with the Japanese. Re-understanding Japan examines transnational and transcultural interactions between China and Japan during those five dramatic and tragic decades at the intimate level of personal lives and behavior. At the center of Lu's inquiry are four diverse yet significant case studies: military strategist Jiang Baili, literary critic and essayist Zhou Zuoren, Guomindang leader Dai Jitao, and romantic poet turned Communist Guo Moruo. In their public and private lives, these influential Chinese formed lasting ties with Japan and the Japanese. While their writings reached the Chinese public through the print mass media and served to enhance popular understanding of Japan and its culture, their activities in political, cultural, and diplomatic affairs paralleled significant turns in Sino-Japanese relations. Based on archival documents, personal memoirs, correspondence, interviews, and contemporary literary works, Re-understanding Japan delineates diverse approaches in Chinese efforts to engage Japan in China's modern reforms. Contents Series Editor’s Preface Acknowledgments Notes on Names and Terms Introduction PART I. Paths to Japan Chapter 1. Riding the Crest of Chinese Nationalism Chapter 2. Beyond Chinese Nationalism PART II. ‘‘Can China and Japan Be Friends?’’ Chapter 3. A Case of Ambivalence Chapter 4. A Case of Frustration PART III. Culture and Politics Chapter 5. Pro-Japanese or Anti-Japanese? Chapter 6. The End of a Pan-Asian Vision PART IV. Parting with Japan Chapter 7. For Survival Chapter 8. For Rejuvenation Chapter 9. With Sorrow Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Character List Select Bibliography Index