Taming China's Wilderness: Immigration, Settlement and the Shaping of the Heilongjiang Frontier, 1900-1931

240 Pages·2016·3.857 MB·English

by  Patrick Fuliang Shan

TAMING CHINA’S WILDERNESS
Patrick Fuliang Shan offers an outstanding study of Heilongjiang as a developing
frontier during an important historical era. This unique monograph not only reveals
the distinctive features of the northeasternmost frontier but also exposes the historical
trajectory of modern China. The book is the crystallization of the author’s decade
long diligence and must be viewed as a significant contribution to Chinese studies.
Xiaobing Li, University of Central Oklahoma, USA
I was very impressed with the depth and breadth of primary sources. I know of no
other book that examines this frontier region in this sort of detail. We can often gain
insights into the formation of modern states by studying their margins. Taming
China’s Wilderness gives a unique perspective on the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the
formation of the Republic from the periphery. With an unparalleled command of the
relevant archival sources, Patrick Fuliang Shan has shown how this remote, beautiful
region has much to say about the process of making the modern Chinese state.
James Carter, Saint Joseph’s University, USA
Patrick Fuliang Shan’s new book on the Heilongjiang frontier in the early twentieth
century is a wonderful addition to the field of Chinese history and of borderland
studies. Combining careful research with theoretical sophistication, it brings China’s
periphery to the centre of the debate over nation-formation and state-building.
Rana Mitter, University of Oxford, UK

Taming China’s Wilderness
Immigration, Settlement and the Shaping of the
Heilongjiang Frontier, 1900–1931
PATRICK FULIANG SHAN
Grand Valley State University, USA
First published 2014 by Ashgate Publishing

Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

Copyright © 2014 Patrick Fuliang Shan
Patrick Fuliang Shan has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only
for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Shan, Patrick Fuliang.
Taming China’s Wilderness: Immigration, Settlement and the Shaping of the Heilongjiang
Frontier, 1900–1931 / by Patrick Fuliang Shan.
pages cm
Includes index.
1. Heilongjiang Sheng (China) – Emigration and immigration – History – 20th century.
2. Heilongjiang Sheng (China) – History – 20th century. 3. China – Emigration and
immigration – Government policy – History – 20th century. I. Title.
DS793.H44S43 2014
305.9’06912095184–dc23 2013035916
ISBN 9781409463894 (hbk)
ISBN 9781315611839 (ebk)
Contents
List of Tables vii
Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 Immigrants, Settlers and New Communities 13
2 Land, Tenancy and Economic Transformation 47
3 Ethnic Transition to Agricultural Life 79
4 Insecurity, Banditry and Social Order 119
5 Russian Influence and Chinese Response 153
Epilogue 191
Glossary 197
Bibliography 203
Index 223
This page has been left blank intentionally
List of Tables
1 Immigration to Northeast China [Manchuria] 18
2 Distribution of Land Ownership in Heilongjiang in 1925 54
3 Land Possession of 700,000 Families in Heilongjiang in 1925 54
4 Rents in Kind in Heilongjiang [dou per shang: 1 dou = 10.3
liters] 63
5 Sources of Russian Military Consumption of Agricultural
Products during the Russo-Japanese War (tons) 161
This page has been left blank intentionally
Abbreviations
BMN Beiman Nongye [North Manchuria Agriculture], by Dongsheng
Tielu Jingji Diaochaju [Chinese Eastern Railway Economic
Investigation Bureau] (Harbin: Zhongguo Yinshuaju, 1928)
CER Chinese Eastern Railway [Zhongdong Tielu]
DNJY Dongbei Nongye Jindaihua Yanjiu [A Study of Agricultural
Modernization in the Northeast], by Yi Baozhong (Jilin: Jilin
Wenshi Chubanshe, 1990)
HKS Heilongjiang Kaifa Shi [A History of the Development of
Heilongjiang], edited by Xin Peilin, Zhang Fengming and Gao
Xiaoyan (Harbin: Heilongjiang Renmin Chubanshe, 1999)
HS Heilongjiang Shezhi [The Establishment of Local Government
in Heilongjiang], published by Heilongjiang Provincial Archives
(Harbin, 1985)
HTCZ Heilongjiang Tongzhi Caiji Ziliao [Selected Sources in
Heilongjiang Local History], published by Heilongjiang
Provincial Archives (Harbin, 1985)
HRZ Heilongjiang Renwu Zhuanlue [Biographies of Heilongjiang
Figures] (edited by Ma Fang) (Harbin: Heilongjiang Renmin
Chubanshe, 1988, continuing)
HSMZ Heilongjiang Shaoshu Minzu: 1903–1931 [Heilongjiang Ethnic
Minorities: 1903–1931], published by Heilongjiang Provincial
Archives (Harbin, 1985)