United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and China (1945-1947)

Author: Wang Dechun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book, based on a large number of reliable archival documents, comprehensively retraces the historical process of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) engaging in relief activities in China. After the war of resistance, UNRRA provided $647 million in aid to help China rescue refugees, heal war wounds, and rebuild peaceful homes. This aid not only included hundreds of tons of various food supplies but also a large number of machinery, equipment, and transportation materials, as well as 150,000 tons of cotton and wool. These scarce essential goods and capital goods were urgently needed by the Chinese people at the time and were met with unanimous anticipation and welcome across the nation. This grand post-war economic effort brought immense hope to countless war survivors who had endured endless suffering and disaster, attracting thousands of active participants and helping millions of suffering Chinese escape hunger and the clutches of death. This book reexamines the historical background, ideological motivations, and political intentions behind the creation of UNRRA, retraces the words, thoughts, emotions, and deeds of historical figures such as Lyman, Lux, and Ke Shi during the relief activities, and traces the conflicts between UNRRA, the China Relief Administration (CRA), and the liberated areas on certain issues. It clarifies some historical facts in the history of the Chinese Civil War (1945-1947) and China's foreign relations during that period.