新たなアジア研究に向けて8号
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Inter-Asia Research Networksare interpreted in terms of the life stories of individuals, and new insight into the tumultuous and diverse aspects of people’s lives within microsociety is achieved, can this form of macrohistory, which is by no means limited to being an interpretive framework for contemporary Chinese history, flourish and demonstrate its novel value and significance.Journals and the History of Modern China: A Case Study of Chiang Kai-Shek DiariesLU Fang-shang (Academia Sirica/Former Director, Academia Historica)In recent years, the publication and utilization of private diaries as source material for the purposes of historical research has become common practice within the field of modern Chinese history. One of the most notable instances of this is Chiang Kai-shek Diaries (1917–1972), which has also served as a catalyst for new trends in research on the history of republican China. There are several points which are worth bearing in mind when utilizing Chiang Kai-shek Diaries as a source for conducting research on modern history. Firstly, while it goes without saying, journals are of particular use in helping us to understand and clarify certain historical details. For example, from the journals of Chen Cheng and Chen Kai-wen, one is able to notice that the conduct of K’ung Hsiang-hsi’s family during World War II was far from faultless. Similar criticisms also feature in Chiang Kai-shek Diaries. Another concrete example is when the Chens attribute the R.O.C. soldiers’ involvement in commercial activities as one reason for their poor discipline. Chiang Kai-shek, too, warned that soldiers must not get involved in commercial activities, time and time again, for this precise reason.When discussing the critical situation faced by the Nationalist Government during 1948 and 1949, by conducting a comparison of Hu Tsung-nan’s journal with that of Chiang’s, one is able to uncover certain discrepancies between opinions about the issue of safeguarding Chongqing, Chengdu and Xichang. Chiang took a stance which was both dignified and very particular to him, and very few individuals were able to remonstrate with him directly. However, Yang Yung-t’ai, Chang Chih-chung and Hsiung Shih-hui were three individuals who were able to do this. In Hsiung Shih-hui’s Haisangji, which uses his personal journal as its primary source, he points out that Chiang’s downfall was his propensity to “allow two people to wield the authority of one”, “use people to pin down the enemy” and “to command whilst overstepping one’s authority”. If we look at Chiang’s journal, we can infer that, taken together, these shortcomings could well have been one of the key reasons which led to Chiang’s defeat in and around 1949 when he was beleaguered by threats from both inside and outside.Secondly, when examined closely over an extended period of time, journals can aid our understanding of certain phenomena. Chang Kai-shek Diaries spans a period of fifty-five years, and by reading it, you discover that his determined and uncompromising personality emerges clearly in his writing. If you compare his journal with the journals of Shen Qi and Lei Chen, his stubborn personality becomes ever more evident. For example, one can observe that in the Wu Kuo-chen Incident, Wang Shi-chieh Incident, Sun Li-jen Incident and Lei Chen Incident, Chiang “took on important roles by himself”, detested “relying on others to insult one’s superiors”, refused to accept American interference and detested being tarred with the same brush as liberals such as Hu Shih. If one 067

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