Manchuria played a crucial role in the People’s Republic of China’s participation in the Korean War, providing substantial material and human support for the Chinese war effort. The majority of research relating to the position of Manchuria in the Korean War focuses on the analysis of the Chinese Communist Party’s involvement in the War, and there has been no academic attention paid to the analysis of social transformation of Manchuria society as a consequence of the War. The emphasis on the political and strategic dimensions of the Korean War has resulted in neglect of the socio-economic dimensions of the Korean War, particularly as they affected Chinese civilians. Such issues as the conditions of medical care, and programs of industrialization and social mobilization in Manchuria after the outbreak of the conflict remain unexplored. How did the Korean War shape the nature of development in 1950s Manchuria? What social transformations did Manchurian society undergo during the period of the Korean War? In this dialogue, Dr. Mo Tian will address these questions and examine the economic and social effects of Korean War on Manchuria.

Mo Tian is a postdoctoral fellow at Center for Global Asia of NYU Shanghai. He holds a PhD in history from the Australian National University. His PhD dissertation examines the social control of rural Manchuria under Japanese occupation during 1932 and 1945. His research interests include modern East Asian history and Japanese imperialism in Asia. He has published several articles on social control, history memory and film representation. 

Introduction and moderation of the discussion by Armin Selbitschka, Assistant Professor of Ancient Chinese History, Global Network Professor, at NYU Shanghai.