ABSTRACT
The CYC established self-defense forces to protect against outside attack, a constant threat with Japanese, collaborationist, GMD and CCP forces in Central China throughout the war. Youth in Japanese-controlled areas voluntarily joined the CYC to participate in self-defense. But the CYC seems to have suffered from SQT infiltration and intelligence operations and CYC members were attacked as retribution for collaborating. Ultimately the CYC was disbanded in favor of a form of self-defense that was not voluntary. The CYC, however, demonstrates the importance of youth organizations’ providing options for participation that appealed to youth, rather than focusing on ideology and control.
