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From Labor Action, Vol. 10 No. 13, 1 April 1946, p. 4-M.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
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Labor Action is glad to reprint the following letter from a close sympathizer of the Workers Party who is now in Shanghai. The writer is a Chinese who, however, spent a few years in the United States before he was drafted into the army. The difficulties of the writer in a foreign language make all the more striking his firm grasp of the situation. |
Jan. 24, 1948
Shanghai, China
I am stationed in Shanghai now. As you know, Shanghai is the most developed city in the Far Eastern map. Not even that, also an important sea port in the Central China, lay at the mouth of the Yangtze river with almost 4 million population. Shanghai’s business mostly depends on import and export, a hundred per cent colonial city. Many kind of raw materials were shipped from here to manufacture goods such as clothes, oil.
Let’s see the city’s industry development. Many factory have been set up during World War I and change owner from Chinese to foreigner in the year of 1928–1940. When the Japanese come, they owned most of the plants. There are about 600,000 people working at the various factory as labors. Compare to other Chinese city, Shanghai is most industrialized.
Before I come over here, there were a students’ demonstration against French Consul in Shanghai because city’s French authorities make arrests and send to Saigon, French Indo-China for trial. The student round up 6,000 before the City Hall protesting to the Mayor, their slogans read – “Send foreign soldiers home,” “Send the French Consul General home.” In here you see the students showing against American military authorities.
Shanghai in year of 1920 to 1930 was the center of the Chinese Communist movement. After the “Manchurian Incident” the Chinese [Communist] move the hq. to Kiangsi province, that mean withdraw the organizing of laborer in Shanghai and went to interior to organize farmers.
But Shanghai labor movement still grow as in war and after war. In war they went underground, today they protest for work.
Yesterday, the Shanghai worker demonstration protesting for work in town.
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Last updated on 24 January 2019