1934 (The Year of Silence)

Author: Li Jifeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: 1934 was an unremarkable year, except for the start of the Long March of the Red Army, which was a notable event. Otherwise, the year was quite ordinary. To be honest, when 1934 arrived, people at the time did not hold high hopes for it. In 1934, China spent 365 days of weakness and relative tranquility. It was a year without prominent figures, lacking passion, and devoid of the surge of new ideas. Even the usually war was monotonous and dull. Why was this the case? What actually happened that year? What impact did it have on the years to come? Who emerged as the winner of the year? It is worth reflecting on. The relative tranquility of 1934 was largely due to the actions of Japan, which were a key factor. Unbeknownst to the Chinese, the Japanese temporarily halted their invasion of China. It wasn’t because the Japanese militarists had a change of heart, nor was it due to the magical binding effect of the Tanggu Agreement. Rather, after the September 18th Incident, Japan had acquired too many spoils from China: the three provinces of Northeast China and Jehol. Despite being a small but mighty nation, Japan couldn’t help but digest its excessive gains. As a result, the nerves of the Chinese, who had been on high alert due to Japanese aggression, finally relaxed slightly. It was like the silence left on the beach after a tide receded. The astute Chiang Kai-shek did not miss this rare opportunity for Japan to pause in its aggression, which made him the winner of 1934. Since his return to power in 1932, he had taken lessons to heart and was no longer as arrogant as before. In 1934, he became the initiator of the "New Life Movement," improving his public image as a mere military figure. At the same time, he quietly strengthened his special intelligence organizations, using the Lushan Military Officer Training Corps to reinforce the loyalty of the officer class to himself. More importantly, he suppressed the Fujian People’s Government and destroyed the Soviet regimes in the Yangtze River Basin, demonstrating his value to the Kuomintang and the Southern Resistance Government.