Social Survey Series of the Republic of China Era: Social Security Volume

Author: Li Wenhai
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: A group of pioneers in Chinese sociology research, using scientific methods of social investigation, gathered a large amount of empirical data through arduous fieldwork, presenting a social survival picture of the Republican era. In the long history of China, the first half of the 20th century marked by the Republic of China, though just a fleeting moment, was undoubtedly the most turbulent and dramatic period in terms of social life. During this time, new systems coexisted with old traditions, construction and destruction went hand in hand, revolution and counter-revolution clashed, internal and external crises pressed hard. Every aspect of Chinese society, whether political systems, economic foundations, science and technology, or ideology and cultural customs, was undergoing significant changes and transformations, ultimately laying a solid foundation for the victory of the New Democratic Revolution.
As time passed, especially with the arrival of the 21st century, the history of the Republic of China gradually broke free from the framework of the history of the Chinese revolution. In a sense, the Republic of China has been recognized and accepted as an important historical period, parallel to the 26 dynasties in Chinese history. In academic circles both at home and abroad, especially in China, an increasing number of scholars have begun to study various aspects of this period from the perspective of a specific historical era. It is also worth noting that, with the deepening of academic research and in response to the needs of contemporary Chinese society, interest in the study of the Republican era has gradually shifted from the dramatic historical figures, thrilling political events, and tea-time anecdotes to the economic and social life. In Marx's words, this means "moving from the superficial political forms to the depths of social life," thereby making the study of the Republican era more closely linked to contemporary society, which is centered on economic development.
As a result, the history of the Republic of China has not only presented itself to the modern Chinese in its original and complete form, becoming a new hotspot and growth point in the study of Chinese history and even the entire academic field, but it has also inevitably played an increasingly significant historical reference role in the economic construction and social development of contemporary China, thereby attracting broader attention from all sectors of society.
However, it is regrettable that, to date, the collection and publication of historical materials related to the Republican era, though extensive, covering archives, local chronicles, newspapers and magazines, official documents, private writings, and memoirs from the People's Republic period, have not been widely recognized. These materials are extremely valuable, yet little attention has been paid to another unique treasure trove of the Republican era—massive social surveys conducted by major political forces, political factions, local governments, academic organizations, schools, and individual scholars, especially rural social surveys. Compared to other materials that have already been organized, these surveys possess unique and irreplaceable academic and collection value.
This is not only because the surveys cover a vast range of topics, including natural environments and social life in most provinces, encompassing urban and rural areas, but also because these surveys were mostly completed using modern scientific methods such as modern economics, anthropology, and sociology, and were presented in the form of survey reports or academic papers. This approach preserved a large amount of survey data and original materials while also consolidating the analyses, insights, and recommendations of relatively advanced Chinese intellectuals of the time on various natural, social, political, and economic issues, offering significant practical reference value. These surveys are invaluable first-hand original materials for in-depth research and understanding of urban and rural social issues in old China, as well as an extremely rare intellectual repository for contemporary socioeconomic construction.
In fact, the survey materials from the Republican era have already moved beyond the realm of historians and have attracted the attention of scholars in other disciplines. Thanks to the foresight and strong support of Fujian Education Press, we now have the opportunity to jointly undertake this historical responsibility. However, given the diverse and vast number of social surveys from this period, as well as their scattered and sometimes even lost overseas storage, it would be impossible and impractical to aim for completeness. Therefore, we have decided to adopt the format of an "anthology" and publish the materials in stages.
The anthology includes a total of 193 works, which are broadly divided into 10 volumes based on their survey content, covering marriage and family, social security, social organizations, religion and folklore, marginalized societies, urban labor life, rural society, population, cultural and educational undertakings, and ethnic minorities. These include books published at the time, as well as papers scattered in various newspapers and magazines, and some manuscripts and mimeographed works that have not yet been publicly published. Works such as the Ding County Social Survey, which were reprinted after the liberation and became widely popular, are temporarily excluded from the collection.