Business Community In Shanghai And The Resisting U.S And Aiding North Korea

The success in1949made that year special. That year had become the dividing line of thenew China and the old China undisputable. Since then China went through another transformation.On October1950, in order to be free from the harm of Korean War, the central committee of CPCdecided to “resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea”. The war was of great significance to China bothinternally and externally. It “gave rise to a series of political and social revolutions, which wouldbe unimaginable at the early stage of the new Republic if there was no war”. In the1950s, themodern Chinese society had undergone dramatic evolution. Taking the opportunity of Korean War,the new government began to control the business community of Shanghai, thus private-ownedbusiness started to transform. From then on, the fate of the business depended not only on thestrength of their economic status, but also on the strength and determination of the government’sintervening.Besides the remarkable changes in1950s, the alliance of revolutionaries and urban elites hadalso aroused people’s great interest. Revolutionaries’ movement had no doubt appeal to the elites,especially to the business community of Shanghai, who were representatives of elites. Therefore,the interaction of elites and new regime during that time provided an important clue forunderstanding the society ambience and political climate. The study objects are not senselessindividuals. On the contrary, they are insight people who were on the cutting edge ofmodernization. We try to figure out their historical circumstances. In another words, they provideda new perspective for us, from which we can explore the general living conditions ofprivate-owned businessmen.In this thesis, business community of Shanghai is the study object. Resisting U.S and AidingNorth Korea is the entry point. The aims of the thesis are as follows: Firstly, by studying on theefforts of Shanghai business community during the Korean War, I try to restore the grandhistorical scenes and correct misinformation; Secondly,by explaining how the new regimecontrolled business community during the Korean War, I try to reveal the political matters andilluminate the “second division” of the business community. Thirdly, through the analysis of cases, I try to introduce the differences between upper class and lower class in Shanghai businesscommunity during the Korean War, revealing their complex psychological states and reflecting thecomplicated times.