Chinese Whispers: Japan's role in the making of modern China
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2023
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In so doing, they’re following in the footsteps of those who came over a century ago – other Chinese exiles who holed out in Japan because of a hostile political environment back home.
This episode is all about how important it was that Japan served as a safe haven for these exiles – both reformers and revolutionaries – at the turn of the 20th century. That would later contribute to the establishment of a Chinese national identity and even the creation of the Chinese republic itself. It turns out that Japan was not only an aggressor against modern China, but an inspiration for it.
On this episode, Cindy Yu is joined by the Professor Rana Mitter from the University of Oxford and Bill Hayton, a journalist and author of The Invention Of China.
[Pictured: Sun Yat-sen with Japanese film producer Umeya Shokichi and wife, who helped fund Sun's activities]
Historical timeline:
1839 - 1842 – First opium war
1856 - 1860 – Second opium war
1868 – The 'Meiji Restoration' begins in Japan
1877 – The first Qing delegation arrives in Tokyo, including diplomat Huang Zunxian.
1894/95 – The Sino-Japanese war. China's defeat results in Taiwan being ceded to Japan as a colony.
1898 – The 'Hundred Days Reform', a failed attempt by the Emperor Guangxu and allies (including Liang Qichao, Kang Youwei and Huang Zunxian) to constitutionalise the Qing dynasty. It was quashed by the Empress Cixi.
1899 - 1901 – The Boxer Rebellion, a peasant movement against foreign forces in China and endorsed by the Qing dynasty. It ends in defeat and an influx of Chinese students are sent to Japan as a part of Qing indemnities.
1911 - The last emperor abdicates and the Republic of China is formed.
Further listening:
Jing Tsu on the Chinese language revolution.
Bill Hayton on 'The Invention Of China'.
Dylan Levi Thomas on modern China's psyche surrounding Japan.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Spectator magazine combines incisive political analysis with books and arts reviews of unrivaled authority. Absolutely free. Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash voucher. |
| 0:31.6 | Hello and welcome to Chinese Whispers with me, Cindy Yu. Every episode, I'll be talking to journalists, experts and long-time China watchers about the latest in Chinese politics, society and more. There'll be a smattering of history to catch you up on the background knowledge and some context as well. How did the Chinese see these issues? |
| 0:51.1 | Just before Christmas, it was reported that the billionaire Jack Ma had moved to Tokyo |
| 0:55.4 | after getting into trouble with the Chinese authorities. |
| 0:58.8 | If that's still true, he would be one of several well-known Chinese |
| 1:01.6 | who seemed to have made Japan their home after runnings with Beijing. |
| 1:05.5 | In so doing, they're following in the footsteps of those who came over a century ago |
| 1:09.2 | other Chinese exiles who hold out in Japan |
| 1:11.7 | because of a hostile political environment back home. This episode is all about how important |
| 1:17.5 | it was that Japan served as a safe haven for these exiles, both reformers and revolutionaries |
| 1:22.9 | at the turn of the 20th century. And just how much that would later contribute to the establishment |
| 1:28.2 | of a Chinese national identity and even the creation of the Chinese Republic itself. |
| 1:34.0 | It turns out that Japan was not only an aggressor against modern China, but an inspiration for it. |
| 1:39.2 | On this episode, I'm joined by Professor Rana Mitter from the University of Oxford and Bill Hatton, |
| 1:44.1 | a journalist and author of The Invention of China. |
| 1:47.2 | We go through a lot of history, so in the description to this episode, there's a short timeline of the major events that we talk about. |
| 1:53.6 | Bill, Rana, welcome to Chinese Whispers. |
| 1:56.1 | Now, unusually for this podcast, I wondered if we can start with a bit of Japanese history. |
| 2:01.1 | Rana, in the late 19th century in Japan, the country went through something called the |
| 2:05.0 | Meiji Restoration. Can you tell us what it was and how it changed the country? |
| 2:09.2 | Absolutely, Cindy, and great to be back on the podcast. So the late 19th century is a time of |
| 2:15.0 | rapid change for Japan, and I would say that probably there's been |
... |
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