Sources on Chinese concessions to Western powers
Posted: 2014-02-09 08:15pm
As strange as it may sound, there are Asians who aren't Japanese who viewed Japan liberating Asia from Western Colonialism. For example a quick search will reveal places like here. I suspect they reached such historical revisionism from a Pan-Asianism mindset. The most obvious retort is that they have a strange definition of liberation if you exchange one master for an even worse one. Naturally they will hand wave away Japanese atrocities but you can hammer them in that regards.
The other way that occurred to me is to simply point out that (using China as the primary example) that a lot of Concessions (ie territory that China effectively allowed foreign administration of) were returned to China prior to the Sino-Japanese war (starting 1937) or after the Japanese had already been defeated. Of those that were returned before, examples include those that were returned via negotiation eg Weihai (returned in 1930) or taken by force eg the British concession in Hankou was eventually ceded in 1929 two years after the Guomindang seized it. In effect the Chinese had liberated these territories themselves. Thus its disingenuous to claim Japan did the liberating when they weren't even occupied, and colonialist influence was actually declining.
Now wiki has a good start with a list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fo ... s_in_China
However a lot of them had dates of when Western powers they gave up the territory, but not in details of why, which is what I am hoping to learn.
Preferably online sources, but any source would be welcomed.
The other way that occurred to me is to simply point out that (using China as the primary example) that a lot of Concessions (ie territory that China effectively allowed foreign administration of) were returned to China prior to the Sino-Japanese war (starting 1937) or after the Japanese had already been defeated. Of those that were returned before, examples include those that were returned via negotiation eg Weihai (returned in 1930) or taken by force eg the British concession in Hankou was eventually ceded in 1929 two years after the Guomindang seized it. In effect the Chinese had liberated these territories themselves. Thus its disingenuous to claim Japan did the liberating when they weren't even occupied, and colonialist influence was actually declining.
Now wiki has a good start with a list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fo ... s_in_China
However a lot of them had dates of when Western powers they gave up the territory, but not in details of why, which is what I am hoping to learn.
Preferably online sources, but any source would be welcomed.