ABSTRACT
Hardt and Negri (2000) published Empire, a book described as a rewriting of the Communist Manifesto for the era of globalization. Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain in 1842 after the Manchu empire’s defeat in the Opium War, and Taiwan was given to Japan in the late 1800s. More importantly, familiarity with the anti-imperialist movements organized by Chinese workers and revolutionaries in the 1920s should inform present discussion about the strategies of resistance against global capitalism in the 21st century. The resistance against global capitalism also takes on a contradictory character. The Hong Kong seamen’s strike began around the same time, and Li headed the Shanghai Labor Secretariat committee formed in support of the strike. The colonial policies of the Western Powers in Shanghai directly fomented a broad coalition of Chinese workers, students, and bourgeoisie. Shanghai’s labor movement in the 1920s was among the most organized, popular, and revolutionary labor movements in the world.
