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SUMMARY:The bombing of Xi'an in China's War of Resistance\, 1937-1945 - Zh
 eng Guan\, University of Oxford
DTSTART:20160205T160000Z
DTEND:20160205T180000Z
UID:TALK64291@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Kate Bruce-Lockhart
DESCRIPTION:During China’s Resistance War with Japan from 1937 to 194
 5\, Xi’an\, an ancient capital of China\, was bombed by the Japanese mil
 itary as were the wartime capital\, Chongqing\, and many other Chinese cit
 ies. Free from Japanese occupation throughout wartime\, Xi’an’s only \
 ndirect exposure to war was the bombing\, the significance of which receiv
 ed little attention in \nWestern and Chinese scholarship. \n\nThis paper i
 s part of a dissertation in progress. It first investigates the rationale 
 for the bombing and outlines the scale and intensity of its physical destr
 uction. Then it discusses the psychological impact of air attacks on citiz
 ens of Xi’an\, demonstrating civilian vulnerability to destructive force
 s in an all-out war. Lastly\, the paper examines local air defense organis
 ed by the state and analyses citizens’ response to and interactions with
  the government. \n\nVulnerability is an ‘unstated criterion of citizens
 hip’ (Sita Ranchod-Nilsson and Mary Ann Tétreault\, 2000). Intended to 
 break the Chinese morale\, the bombing exposed the vulnerability of civili
 ans in Xi’an. The state acknowledged their vulnerability and thereby the
 ir \ncitizenship by strengthening air defense and providing reliefs\; loya
 lty was demanded in return. \n\nThis paper argues that through such intens
 ifying interactions\, the state was able to extend its \ncontrol over the 
 society\, while citizens of Xi’an were familiarised with their roles wit
 hin the \nexisting power structure – they were\, in a word\, politicised
 . Both processes\, the paper argues \nfurther\, contributed to national re
 sistance and the ‘imagining’ (Benedict Anderson\, 1991) of the \nChine
 se nation. \n\n
LOCATION:Seminar Room 3\, Alison Richards Building
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