Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:49:36.681Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Creating “Masters of the Country” in Shanghai and Beijing: Discourse and the 1953–54 Local People's Congress Elections*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2014

Jishun Zhang
Jishun Zhang*
Affiliation:
East China Normal University, Shanghai. Email: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The first round of elections for local people's congresses was an important moment in the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to create an image of the common people as the “masters of the country.” Lower-class people were portrayed in official propaganda as “masters” who were also supporters of the Party. Yet, those “masters” nevertheless displayed diverse political attitudes that were influenced by different local political cultures, particularly in Beijing and Shanghai. The official propaganda promoting the “masters” was a Communist strategy to gain political legitimacy that ironically created the foundation for heterodox mass movements.

摘要

中华人民共和国的第一次普选是中共建构 “国家主人翁”形象的一个重要时刻。在中共的宣传媒体所制作的 “当家作主”的历史场景中, 来自底层的普通百姓和人民代表被塑造成党所需要的 “国家主人翁”。而在上海与北京不同的政治文化背景下, “国家主人翁”展现出各种不同的面相, 勾勒出这幅国家政治图谱的地方性。 “国家主人翁”的宣传鼓动, 既是毛泽东时代建构政权合法性的策略, 也是群众运动一呼百应的动因。

Keywords

masters of the countrylocal people's congressgrassroots communityShanghaiBeijing国家主人翁普选底层社会上海北京
Type
Articles
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 220 , December 2014 , pp. 1071 - 1091
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

The author would like to thank Joshua Hill for his translation of this article, Elizabeth Perry for her support throughout the writing and editing process, and Jiang Jin for her help with the revision process.

References

References63

Bei Sichuan lu qu (Bei Sichuan lu qu xuanju weiyuanhui).1954a. “Baogao benqu renmin daibiao Min zisha qingkuang” (Report on the suicide of Min, a people's congress delegate from our district), 21 May. In SMA, B52-2-47.Google Scholar
Bei Sichuan lu qu. 1954b. “Guanyu benqu renmin daibiao zhong shenghuo kunnanzhe de qingkuang baogao” (A report on financial difficulties faced by the people's deputies from the district), 14 July. In SMA, B52-2-3.Google Scholar
Beijing shi xuanju weiyuanhui. 1953a. “Beijing shi xuanju weiyuanhui baogao” (Report from the Beijing municipal election committee), 25 July. In BMA, 1-6-814.Google Scholar
Beijing shi xuanju weiyuanhui. 1953b. “Beijing shi puxuan gongzuo dianxing shiyan zhongjie caogao” (Draft summary report of election work in the test districts), September. In BMA, 1-6-814.Google Scholar
Beijing shi xuanju weiyuanhui. 1953c. Xuanju gongzuo jianbao (Election Work Reports), 22 October. In BMA, 14-2-24.Google Scholar
Beijing shiwei bangongting. 1954a. Puxuan qingkuang (Election Reports), No. 7, 4 January. In BMA, 1-6-821.Google Scholar
Beijing shiwei bangongting. 1954b. Puxuan qingkuang (Election Reports), No. 15, 28 January. In BMA, 1-6-821.Google Scholar
Beijing shiwei xuanchuanbu. 1954. “Tongzhi” (Notice), 21 August. In BMA, 1-6-820.Google Scholar
Changning qu xuanju weiyuanhui. 1954. “Xuanmin xiaozu taolun zhong dui lianhe timing, deng'e xuanju ji dui chubu houxuanren mingdan yonghu de fanying” (Voter reactions to methods of joint-nomination of candidates and single-candidate election, as well as to the preliminary list of candidates, voiced at group meetings), 8 January. In SMA, B52-2-29.Google Scholar
Gaoxiao dangwei (Beijing shiwei gaoxiao dangwei). 1954a. “You guan Zhang Dongsun de yi xie zuijin qingkuang” (Recent information about Zhang Dongsun), 18 January. In BMA, 1-6-1032.Google Scholar
Gaoxiao dangwei. 1954b. “Haidian qu xuanju weiyuanhui shouli jianju Zhang Dongsun jiankuang” (Haidian district election committee's brief report on the acceptance of the case against Zhang Dongsun), 6 January. In BMA, 1-6-1032.Google Scholar
Jiaoqu xuanju weiyuanhui. 1954. “Qunzhong dui lianhe timing, deng'e xuanju de yixie hao de fanying” (Some positive popular reactions to the unified nomination system and single-candidate elections), 7 January. In SMA, B52-2-29.Google Scholar
Jiefang ribao zhengzhi zu. n.d. “Guanyu puxuan yundong de baodao” (Regarding coverage of the election). In SMA, B52-2-32.Google Scholar
Li, Xun. 1996. Da bengkui: Shanghai gongren zaofanpai xingwang shi (The Great Collapse: the Rise and Fall of the Shanghai Workers' Rebel Faction). Taibei: Shibao wenhua.Google Scholar
Lilong gongwei (Lilong gongzuo weiyuanhui). 1955a. “Shanghai shi lilong zhengtun zuzhi jianshe gongzuo zongjie, caogao” (Draft summary work report on organization building for the Shanghai neighbourhood rectification campaign), April. In SMA, A20-1-116.Google Scholar
Lilong gongwei. 1955b. “Lilong zhengdun yundong cailiao gongzuo zongjie, caogao” (Draft summary work report on neighbourhood rectification campaign materials), 28 March. In SMA, A20-1-116.Google Scholar
Lilong gongwei. n.d. “Lilong zhengdun youguan zhengzhi qingkuang: diaoyan shenli gongzuo baogao tigang, caogao” (Political conditions relating to the neighbourhood rectification campaign: draft outline report of investigation and trial work). In SMA, A20-1-120.Google Scholar
Lu, Xun. 2006[1937]. “‘Jingpai’ he ‘Haipai’” (‘Beijing style’ and ‘Shanghai style’). In Lu, Xun, Qiejieting zawen erji (Collected Essays of Qiejieting, Series 2). Beijing: Renmin wenxue chubanshe, 92.Google Scholar
Mao, Zedong. 1991[1949]. “Lun renmin minzhu zhuanzheng” (On the People's Democratic Dictatorship). In Mao Zedong xuanji (Selected Works of Mao Zedong) (Vol. 4). Beijing: Renmin chubanshe.Google Scholar
Pan, Hannian. 1953. “Puxuan xuanchuan gongzuo jianghua tigang (chugao)” (Draft outline for a talk on election propaganda work), 13 October. In SMA, B52-1-24.Google Scholar
Perry, Elizabeth J. 2007. “Masters of the country?: Shanghai workers in the early People's Republic.” In Brown, Jeremy and Pickowicz, Paul (eds.), Dilemmas of Victory: The Early Years of the People's Republic. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 59–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, Elizabeth J., and Xun, Li. 1997. Proletarian Power: Shanghai in the Cultural Revolution. Boulder, CO: Westview.Google Scholar
Qu renmin daibiao dahui daibiao lüli biao (Resume of district people's congress). 1954. In SMA, B52-2-80, B52-2-82, B52-2-85, B52-2-87, B52-2-105, B52-2-107, B52-2-109, B52-2-93, B52-2-89, B52-2-101.Google Scholar
Shanghai Huangpu qu xuanju weiyuanhui. 1954. “Liu mishuzhang zai ben qu di 19 qu xuanju dongyuan baogao gao” (General Secretary Liu's draft report on election mobilization in Huangpu's 19th precinct), 13 January. In SMA, B52-1-24.Google Scholar
Shanghai shi xuanju weiyuanhui xuanchuanchu (ed.). 1953. “Puxuan xuanchuan jianghua cailiao” (The promotional material about the election), 2–21 September. In SMA, B52-2-33.Google Scholar
Shanghai shiwei (Zhonggong Shanghai shiwei). 1954a. “Shanghai shi jiceng xuanju gongzuo zongjie” (Final report on Shanghai's grassroots elections), 12 August. In SMA, A38-2-9.Google Scholar
Shanghai shiwei. 1954b. “Guanyu lilong zhengdun gongzuo de zhishi” (Guidance for neighbourhood rectification work), 28 July. In SMA, A20-1-116.Google Scholar
Shi xuan wei (Shanghai shi xuanju weiyuanhui bangongshi). 1953a. Puxuan qingkuang fanying (Election Situation and Reactions), No. 3, 29 May. In SMA, B52-1-39.Google Scholar
Shi xuan wei. 1953b. Puxuan qingkuang (Election Reports), No. 1, 23 November. In SMA, B52-1-40.Google Scholar
Shi xuan wei. 1954. Puxuan qingkuang (Election Reports), No. 20, 6 January. In SMA, B52-1-40.Google Scholar
Shi xuan wei. n.d. “Guanyu qunzhong dui lianhe timing de fanying qingkuang de cailiao” (Materials concerning popular attitudes about unified nominations) and “Guanyu renmin dui xuanju de guangrong gan, shengli gan, zeren gan de kanfa” (Concerning the people's feelings of honour, victory and responsibility arising from the election). In SMA, B52-2-12.Google Scholar
Wu, Jiping. 2010. Xin Zhongguo di yi ci puxuan yundong yanjiu (New China's First Mass Suffrage Election). Zhengzhou: Henan renmin chubanshe.Google Scholar
Xisi quwei (Zhonggong Beijing shi Xisi quwei). 1953. “Xisi qu renmin daibiao dahui daibiao ge fangmian bili ji daibiao houxuanren timing wenti de chubu yijian, caogao” (A draft preliminary opinion on the ratio of delegates from Xisi district and the issue of nominating candidates), 18 December. In BMA, 1-6-825.Google Scholar
Xisi quwei. 1954a. “Xisi qu Zhantansi nan xuanqu Tianzhujiao zai daibiao houxuanren timing jieduan huodong qingkuang ji chuli yijian baogao” (Report and opinion on the activities of Catholics in Xisi district Zhantansi South precinct during the candidate nomination phase), 18 January. In BMA, 1-6-825.Google Scholar
Xisi quwei. 1954b. “Xisiqu Zhantansi nan xuanqu jiaotu de yixie qingkuang” (Situation of Catholic adherents in Xisi district Zhantansi South precinct), 18 January. In BMA, 1-6-825.Google Scholar
Yang, Kuisong. 2013. Renbuzhu de guanhuai: 1949 nian qianhou de shushing yu zhengzhi (To be Concerned as Ever: Intellectuals and Politics in China around 1949). Guilin: Guangxi shifan daxue chubanshe.Google Scholar
Zhonggong zhongyang wenxian yanjiushi (ed.). 1992. Jianguo yilai zhongyao wenxian xuanbian (Selection of Important Documents since the Establishment of the PRC) (Vol. 1). Beijing: Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe.Google Scholar