Evolution and Consequences of the Nationalist Party's Grain Policy in Shanghai

Author: Ma Jun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: From 1945 to 1949, the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Communist Party of China engaged in a large-scale civil war to compete for the country's governing power, with Shanghai, China's largest city, being the focal point of their struggle. During this period, a food crisis plagued the city of Shanghai, primarily manifested in unstable supply and soaring grain prices. These issues were the underlying factors of social upheaval, public unrest, labor strikes, and academic turmoil. From the formation to the development of the rice crisis, from its outbreak to its worsening, the measures taken by the authorities, the attitudes of grain merchants, and the reactions of the citizens involved almost every aspect of economic, social, political, and even cultural issues. In reality, it served as a key to understanding the urban life in Shanghai at that time, as well as the broader national situation. Food issues have never been about anything else but, at its core, they are about people, about social stability, and about who holds power! The food policies of the authorities are often believed to have a unifying effect over the entire situation. This book takes this as its starting point, focusing on typical cases and important institutions, employing a panoramic review approach, embedding principles within the narrative, and exploring the patterns and essence of the Nationalist Party's grain policies in Shanghai through the complex phenomena. It further emphasizes the social and political consequences they caused, aiming to reveal the fundamental characteristics and underlying logic of this historical period, and to provide a new footnote to the traditional grand question of "the transfer of power on the mainland."