Study Of The Issue Between Chinese YMCA And Labor (1919-1937)

After the 1910s,with the development of the Chinese capitalist and the spread of socialist ideological trend in China later the Russian Revolution of October,the labor and the capital have been resulted in contradictory conflicts.Therefore,the labor issues became the social focal problems which were concerned by all sectors of society including Kuomintang and the Communist party in the first half of the 20^th.Generally speaking,the labor problem is a consequence of gradually developed industry,“in capitalist countries,labor problem is the economic suffering of the workers for opposing the local capitalists”.However,for the semi-colonial and semi-feudal modern China,what makes the labor problem specific is closely related to politics and national liberation.Kuomintang once implemented some basic principles and policies of assisting labor organization and carrying out labor-capital cooperation to the labor problem before the first Kuomintang-Communist Party cooperation.After that first cooperation,with the transformation of the political situation and Kuomintang political status,Kuomintang blames the labor for their radical activities in the national revolution,despite Kuomintang used to support and implement the policies of giving assistance to the peasants and workers.Since Nanjing nationalist becomes the ruling party,they advocate solving labor issues through developing education of the labor;pursuing labor legislation,protecting the welfare benefits of the labor and so on.But it was unsatisfactory for the chaos of the economic social,many laws and regulations were fail to achieve.As the establishment of Chinese Communist,through engaging some class actions and leading labor movement,they advocate to promote“society reform”and encourage to improve life quality of the labor,enhance the status of the labor and struggle for the nation liberation,under the influence of Soviet and Russian socialist theories.Under the impact of Social Gospel to face labor problem,Christianity in China also pay close attention to society reality problem.They regard Christian socialist theory as guidance to promote their own ideas and propositions.In their opinion,“class action would only bring more conflicts rather than cooperation,violence reproduce violence”,the system which was set up by“sword”must be perished by“sword”in a certain period.It seems violent revolution is useful now,but history will prove what it takes is not Utopia but long and tired circulation tangled by revolution and counterrevolution.Hence,Christianity promote a kind of idea that“Better die for sinners than kill sinners”could effect people,they insist“love”,“sacrifice”,“improvement of personality”,“holy labor”,these principles to transform mind,train personality and improve moral characters,they also take the adjustment between labor and capital to figure out the labor problem.Since 1922s,the Christian national congress,the nation congress on Christian economic relation and others were held to discuss and formulate plan of labor reform.Besides,The National Christian Council of China also set up Industry Council to take charge of investigating the situation of Chinese labor and advertise the Christian industry idea.YMCA is a kind of Christian organization which is responsible for concrete implement to serve the relevant ministries of labor.They“try their best to promote the labor law”to protect the benefits of labor;agitate public opinion,lay emphasis on the research of society economic situation,cultivate people who study of industry and labor problem,publish books related to industry transformation,drive the research on industry economic;start a specific column of labor in Association Progress that is the official organ of Christianity,introduce plan that Europe and American used to reform society,discuss the constructive role by church to find out this kind of problems;establish a civilian school and craft classes,invite Sherwood Eddy,Asia director general of the north American association,Toyohiko Kagawa,Japanese famous Christian preacher,the leader of labor movement,Christian socialist thinker,to give speeches to“universal education for workers and social education”to gain a goal that“including normal knowledge”,“increasing professional competence”and“developing civic morality”.Besides,via the model community like the estate for the labors of Pudong and Huxi society center which have been hailed as“the new model of village,the typical framework of society”to improve life quality of labor and enhance worker well-being.A series of ideas about reform labor and various services to the community of YMCA has an ideological enlightenment and promotion to“reform economics”,“improve family life,enhance citizens'knowledge”,“make every citizen perfect to do their duty fully”.However,China is in the grip of crisis including poverty,weakness,ignorance and corruption,in this situation,only“to make fundamental changes rather than to change the trivial details”could get a solution.