Canton Hong Kong Strike

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Strike poster

The Canton-Hong Kong strike was one of the largest and longest anti-colonial protests in the Republic of China against the great powers who had obtained territorial rights in China through the “Unequal Treaties” . The work stoppages began on June 19, 1925 and ended on October 10, 1926.

The participants in the strike, said to number more than 250,000, were students, academics, workers and traders from British-occupied Hong Kong and the Anglo-French concession in Shamian . The trigger was the so-called incident on May 30 , in which British police forces shot several Chinese demonstrators.

backgrounds

On May 30, 1925, on the orders of the colonial administration, British police shot at a gathering of students in the foreign concession in Shanghai , who protested against the " colonialism of foreign powers" in China. At least 13 demonstrators were killed and several injured. Tensions escalated when foreign-led troops killed more than 50 Chinese during a similar rally in Shamian . As a result, the National People's Party of China (Kuomintang), supported by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as part of the first phase of cooperation , called on all Chinese in Hong Kong and Shamian to walk out and leave both cities. Free tickets for steamers and trains were distributed.

The strikers followed the calls and went to the areas under the control of the Chinese national government . Remaining Chinese traders closed their shops. According to contemporary witnesses, "Hong Kong turned into a ghost town ". 50,000 Chinese left Hong Kong in the first week of the strike, and another 250,000 followed at the end of July. In addition, the organizers called for a boycott of English goods and the economic blockade of Hong Kong. Armed pickets ensured compliance with the measures. The British colonial power then threatened to occupy Guangzhou (Canton). This prompted the Chinese national government to recall the pickets, which were not necessary anyway, as the Chinese willingly followed the calls.

The Canton-Hong Kong strike weakened Britain's economic and political influence in China. The British government loaned British companies in Hong Kong over £ 3 million to prevent an economic collapse. In the course of the strike, trade in Hong Kong fell by 50 percent and rents by 60 percent. The boycott continued for a few months after the work stoppage ended. The measures ended on October 10, 1926 in a joint agreement between the Kuomintang and the CCP, as all forces were required for the northern campaign that began on June 1, 1926 .

The strike is described in André Malraux 's novel Les Conquérants (1928; German: The Conquerors ).

See also

literature

  • Dieter Kuhn: The Republic of China from 1912 to 1937. Draft for a political event history . In: Würzburger Sinologische Schriften . 3rd revised and expanded edition. Ed. Forum, Heidelberg, ISBN 3-927943-25-8 ( uni-wuerzburg.de ).
  • Richard W. Rigby: The May 30 Movement. Events and Themes. Australian National University Press, Canberra 1980, ISBN 0-7081-1758-9 ( review ).
  • Ulrike Eifler: Neoliberal Globalization and the Labor Movement in China. Ibidem Press, 2012.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ulrike Eifler: Neoliberal Globalization and the Labor Movement in China. Ibidem Press, 2012, pp. 88-89.
  2. ↑ Deng Zhongxia: Chinese History. Chapter XIII. (chin.) Shanghai, 1930, p. 867.
  3. ^ John M. Carroll: A concise history of Hong Kong. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, p. 99 f.
  4. ^ Jens Bangsbo, Thomas Reilly, Mike Hughes: Science and Football III. Proceedings of the Third World Congress of Science and Football, Cardiff, Wales 9-13 April 1995. Taylor & Francis publishin, 1995, pp. 42-43.
  5. ^ Richard W. Rigby: The May 30 Movement. Events and Themes. Australian National University Press, 1980, pp. 55 f.