REMNANTS OF EMPIRE: HISTORY AND EFFECTS OF MANCHUKUO BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

Abstract

A major part of Northeast China’s history, the puppet state of Manchukuo, formed before World War Two, has found itself a hidden enigma in the history of Chinese and Japanese relations. This short-lived nation became a major crux in cultural relations of the region, influenced by China, Japan, and Russia. Prior to and during the nation-state’s existence, cultural and political shifts between China and Japan created new aspects of living for those that lived in the region, as well as lines being drawn and sides being taken. Those that lived under the Japanese rule were often forced to resist or collaborate and were seen as heroes or villains after the war. However, much of these views cannot be considered black and white, and recent academic interest in this former nation has allowed for more nuanced views of these people and their forced nation. This paper will explore the history of the region, Manchukuo’s effects on those living there in regard to collaboration and resistance, and how this puppet state’s creation and destruction has managed to continue affecting Chinese culture long after its collapse. By creating a case study of the region using several different sources of historical literature, this paper seeks to show that the nation-state of Manchukuo had a more important role in developing modern Chinese culture than previously expected.