Transnational Support and Anti-Fascist Collaboration: A Historical Investigation of the Group of Foreign Experts During the Period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945)

Under a Creative Commons license: CC BY CC BY 4.0

This article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). You are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) for any purpose, even commercially, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the CC BY 4.0 license, and indicate if changes were made.

Abstract

As the Eastern Battlefield of the Global Anti-Fascist War raged on, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression not only rallied the resistance forces of the Chinese nation but also drew foreign experts from across the globe to devote themselves to the cause of aiding China. This paper takes the group of foreign experts in China from 1931 to 1945 as its research subject, adopts a research approach integrating transnational history and regional history, and systematically sorts out the aid-to-China journeys of foreign experts in fields such as military affairs, medical care, science and technology, and culture. By analyzing their group composition characteristics, operational practice paths, and historical impacts, this paper reveals the core role of foreign experts in tactical innovation, medical rescue, technology transfer, and international communication, and explores the interactive relationship between the transnational intellectual network and the Anti-Fascist United Front.

Keywords

War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression;Foreign Experts;Anti-Fascist Collaboration;Technology Transfer;International Support

References

Chinese Monographs

[1] Mitter, R. The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945: For the Struggle of Survival [M]. Beijing: Sanlian Bookstore, 2022.

[2] The Second Historical Archives of China. Compilation of Archives of the International Medical Team Aiding China [M]. Nanjing: Jiangsu Ancient Books Publishing House, 2023.

[3] Zhang, L. Wartime Science and Technology Assistance to China: A Comparative Study of George B. Cressey and Joseph Needham [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 2021.

[4] Institute of Military History, Academy of Military Sciences. Historical Materials Collection of the Soviet Military Advisory Group Aiding China [M]. Beijing: Military Science Press, 2020.

[5] Tuyunguan Historical and Cultural Research Association. Bethune-Style Doctors: Oral History of the International Medical Team Aiding China [M]. Guiyang: Guizhou People's Publishing House, 2024.

[6] Van de Ven, H. China at War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Rise of a New China (1937- 1945) [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2021.

[7] Kushner, B. From Man to Ghost, From Ghost to Man: Japanese War Crimes and Chinese Trials [M]. Nanjing: Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 2022.

[8] He, Z. Shanghai 1937: The Stalingrad Campaign on the Yangtze River [M]. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press (China), 2023.

[9] Buchanan, A. N. The Second World War in Global Perspective (1931-1953) [M]. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2020.

Chinese Journal Articles

[1] Wang, Y. Research on China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in European and American Academia in Recent Years [J]. Modern Chinese History Studies, 2021(6): 124-140.

[2] Li, M. Combat Operations and Historical Influence of the Soviet Volunteer Air Corps in Aiding China (1937-1941) [J]. Military History Research, 2022(2): 78-92.

[3] Chen, J. Battlefield Rescue and Public Health Practice of the International Medical Team Aiding China [J]. Journal of Historical Science, 2023(3): 98-110.

[4] Liu, M. Wartime Assistance to China by American Science and Technology Experts: A Study Centered on George B. Cressey [J]. Studies in the History of Natural Sciences, 2021(4): 489- 502.

[5] Zhao, L. A Review of New Trends in European and American Research on China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in the Past Decade [J]. CPC History Research and Teaching, 2022(1): 89-102.

[6] Wang, M. The Influence of German Military Advisers on the Modernization of the Chinese Military (1931-1938) [J]. Historical Archives, 2020(5): 112-120.

[7] Yang, L. James Bertram's Reports on the War of Resistance in North China and Their International Influence [ J]. Journalism & Communication, 2024(2): 105-121.

[8] Z h a n g, Y. L i m i t a t i o n s o f Tra n s n a t i o n a l Collaboration During the War: A Case Study of the Conflicts Between Joseph Stilwell and the Chinese Battlefield [J]. Modern Chinese History