ABSTRACT

This work draws on a wide range of Chinese and Japanese sources to analyse the uncertain loyalties and complex internal pressures that drove Sino-Japanese interaction in prewar north China. It examines the shifting understandings of the North China problem in its practical, political and moral aspects, and challenges existing assumptions concerning Chinese relations with Japan and their impact on domestic politics.

chapter |23 pages

Introduction

chapter One|36 pages

‘Cuckoos in the Nest'

The Japanese Advance in North China

chapter Two|39 pages

‘We must drive out these warlords'

Japan and The North China Autonomy Movement

chapter Three|35 pages

‘Ambiguous talk and equivocal attitudes'

Song Zheyuan And The Quest For Survival In North China

chapter Four|34 pages

‘Citizens of the Republic'

The Realignment of Hebei-Chaha'er

chapter Five|40 pages

‘A castle built on sand'

The Limits of Formal Diplomacy

chapter |10 pages

Conclusions