From "Eat Firstly" To "Would Rather Starve To Death" The Economic Life And Political Choice Of The Peking Scholars After The Anti-Japanese War (1945-1949)

The period since Anti-Japanese War finished to Kuomintang retreated continent is a critical stage for Chinese intellectuals to profit and avoid loss in their political choices. In this phase, with the intensified inflation and economic crisis in the KMT-ruled Area, living conditions of the university professors, as the intellectual elites, becomes deteriorating. Until the domination took over to Communist party, these so-called intellectual elite already reduced to a dire situation without adequate food. Economic scarcity will inevitably affect the political decision. After a series of struggle with the National Government for anti-hunger、 food and clothing, salary etc., they finally parted ways with the Kuomintang regime. This paper regards the economic situation of Peking man after the war as the research object, I try to probe the economic aspects of reasons for the Chinese intellectuals to break with the Kuomintang regime in a time line.During the reign of Nanjing National Government, university professors, belonging to the upper class society, enjoyed a generous salary and excellent living conditions. The economic sense of belonging and social superiority made them kept a close "partnership" with the Kuomintang regime. The outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War caused domestic economy turn to a wartime track, people’s lives become generally hardship, professor’s treatment plummeted and social status also fell to the bottom. In addition to other reasons, some scholars began to doubt, even alienated the KMT.After the war, Peking and other recovered areas’prices rise suddenly and sharply because the extremely unreasonable exchange ratio between the KMT prescribed legal tender and the bank notes of the Central Reserve. Then, with the outbreak of civil war, the National Unification areas’prices continued to rise. Although the National Government conduct several adjustments of civil servants and teachers’salary according to the actual situation, wages still cannot meet their needs for survival. Thus, Peking scholars call for "eat firstly" slogan.February 1947, The National Government issued the "Economic Emergency Measures Plan" aimed at eliminating the economic crisis in KMT-ruled Area and protecting their own political domination. This plan formulated that The National Government implemented daily livelihood placing for in the Nanjing-Shanghai area, and delineated Peking and the country 32 cities as prices, wages strictly control areas. The Peking Scholars, same as national civil servants and teachers, not only can not enjoy the equally daily placing treatment,but also their salary to be strictly controlled is far behind the rapid rebound in prices, with the failure of the "economic emergency measures plan". In this case, Peking scholars and students together are moving to "Hunger, Civil war, against the persecution" Campaign.In September 1947, the National Government conduct physical placement to civil servants and teachers in Pingjin areas. Professor of Peking Universities can get two bags of cheap flour per month by physical placing, like a "tonic" temporarily calms the morale of people. However, physical placement has been canceled by the method of treatment in January, this behavior made the Kuomintang regime in Peking scholars kindled a glimmer of hope shattered again.After the partial placement, the national government decided to implement comprehensive food placed in Nanjing, Shanghai, Peking, Tianjin, Guangzhou, half of these food aided from the United States, university teachers can get two bags of cheap flour per month. During this period, Chinese intellectuals and students see the true face of American imperialism by American support for Japan, resulting in "anti-American Rotary Day" campaign. In order to oppose the American support for Japan, Peking scholars, like Ziqing Zhu et., support for the student movement by refused to receive the food provided by the United States. These acts had highlighted the integrity of the Chinese nation, at the same time, shown the scorn of the Kuomintang.Currency reform, the last reform, have promulgated in the Kuomintang regime’s powerless time-on economic life of Peking man, also was a driving force which cause a farewell between Peking scholars and the Kuomintang. Currency reform measures, not only did not save economic crisis, but also make the economy worse. It likes the last straw, completely overwhelming the intellectuals’trust in the Kuomintang, and resulting in a final break between the two.