Chinese Industrial Cooperatives
Encyclopedia
Chinese Industrial Cooperative Association "gōngyè hézuòshè (工業合作社), that is, the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, known as INDUSCO, was formally established in August,1938 in Hankow, then the wartime capital of China. The movement was organized by Rewi Alley
of New Zealand; Edgar Snow
, Nym Wales (Helen Foster Snow
), and Ida Pruitt
of the USA; and a group of Chinese including Hu Yuzhi and Sha Qianqi. Through the sponsorship of Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Finance Minister Dr. H. H. Kung
supplied government financial support. The slogan "Gung Ho" (gonghe) was created, which also became popular in English. The CIC organized small scale self-supporting cooperatives
, mainly in rural areas, to create employment for workers and refugees and goods to support the War of Resistance against the Japanese.
In January, 1939 The International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (the Gung Ho International Committee, or, ICCIC) was established in Hongkong. Ida Pruitt toured the United States to raise substantial financial support. The number of cooperatives reached its peak in 1941 at approximately 3,000 cooperatives with a membership of nearly 30,000. Their factories produced blankets, uniforms and other army supplies. Both the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek
and the Communist movement of Mao Zedong
supported the movement and tried to control it. Alley placated the Nationalists but his sympathies and eventual loyalties were to the emerging Communist government. After Mao’s victory in 1949 Alley stayed in China, but there was no need for the CIC and ICCIC. Work was suspended in 1952, but 1983 a new CIC was formed, and a new ICCIC was formed in 1987.
Rewi Alley
Rewi Alley, 路易•艾黎, Lùyì Àilí, QSO, , was a New Zealand-born writer, educator, social reformer, potter, and member of the Communist Party of China....
of New Zealand; Edgar Snow
Edgar Snow
Edgar P. Snow was an American journalist known for his books and articles on Communism in China and the Chinese Communist revolution...
, Nym Wales (Helen Foster Snow
Helen Foster Snow
Helen Foster Snow was an American journalist who reported from China in the 1930s under the name "Nym Wales" on the developing revolution in China and the Korean independence movement...
), and Ida Pruitt
Ida Pruitt
Ida Pruitt , bi-cultural social worker, author, speaker, interpreter and 20th century contributor to Sino-American understanding.-Early life:...
of the USA; and a group of Chinese including Hu Yuzhi and Sha Qianqi. Through the sponsorship of Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Finance Minister Dr. H. H. Kung
H. H. Kung
K'ung Hsiang-hsi , often known as Dr. H. H. Kung, was a wealthy Chinese banker and politician in the early 20th century. He was highly influential in determining the economic policies of the KMT government in the 1930s and 1940s...
supplied government financial support. The slogan "Gung Ho" (gonghe) was created, which also became popular in English. The CIC organized small scale self-supporting cooperatives
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
, mainly in rural areas, to create employment for workers and refugees and goods to support the War of Resistance against the Japanese.
In January, 1939 The International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (the Gung Ho International Committee, or, ICCIC) was established in Hongkong. Ida Pruitt toured the United States to raise substantial financial support. The number of cooperatives reached its peak in 1941 at approximately 3,000 cooperatives with a membership of nearly 30,000. Their factories produced blankets, uniforms and other army supplies. Both the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
and the Communist movement of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
supported the movement and tried to control it. Alley placated the Nationalists but his sympathies and eventual loyalties were to the emerging Communist government. After Mao’s victory in 1949 Alley stayed in China, but there was no need for the CIC and ICCIC. Work was suspended in 1952, but 1983 a new CIC was formed, and a new ICCIC was formed in 1987.