Entangled Histories: The Transcultural Past of Northeast China

Abstract

During the first half of the twentieth century Manchuria, as Western historiography commonly designates the three northeastern provinces of China, was politically, culturally and economically a contested region. In the late nineteenth century, the region became the centre of competing Russian, Chinese and Japanese interests, thereby also gaining global attention. The coexistence of people of different nationalities, ethnicities and cultures in Manchuria was rarely if ever harmoniously balanced or static. On the contrary, interactions were both dynamic and complex. Semi-colonial experiences affected the people’s living conditions, status and power relations. The transcultural negotiations and processes between all population groups across all kinds of borders are the theme of this book. The introduction argues that the past of Northeast China was significantly shaped by various entangled histories in areas such as administration, economy, ideas, ideologies, culture, media and daily life.