Administering the colonizer: The Chinese takeover of Russian Harbin, 1920--1932

This dissertation examines the Chinese takeover of the concession's most important institutions, the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, the municipal governments, the courts, the police and the education system. In each case the dissertation argues that the process can be divided into two periods. The first, from 1920–1924, is a period noted for superficial Chinese control. The Chinese administration, understanding that the continuing functioning of the Special District relied on the continued good will and cooperation of the Russian staff of these institutions, insisted on nominal Chinese control. Chinese supervisors were appointed, and new Chinese supervisory bodies were created to replace the former power of the Chinese Eastern Railway. However from the early 1920s the Chinese administration began to include more Chinese staff and planned to reform the former Russian institutions. In the meantime these institutions were left to continue much as before.; The second period, 1924–1929, marks a period of renewed Soviet interest in the Special District. In 1924 the Chinese Eastern Railway was placed under joint Soviet-Chinese management as part of the settlement for the normalization of relations between the two countries. The Chinese administrators had hoped that the new Soviet partners would cooperate in establishing full Chinese control over institutions not needed for the railway's operation. Instead the USSR used the foothold it had obtained on the railway to launch a renewed campaign to regain the colonial position once held by Russia in the region. Therefore this second period is one where the Chinese aggressively pursued control of the aforementioned institutions. In this period the Chinese had the support of the Russian anti-Bolshevik émigré population.; Broadly the dissertation argues that Northern China has been ignored in the history of the development of Chinese urban administration and nationalism. The dissertation argues that the previous studies of the foreign-Chinese exchange in the treaty ports of southern China have been too influenced by a model of Chinese xenophobic nationalism. The administrative experience of the Special District of the Northeast demonstrates that Chinese nationalism was not only motivated by anti-foreignism but was also inclusive and could accept the administration of a large foreign population. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...