Thread 👇How West’s betrayal of China in Versailles after WW1 led to Long Chinese Revolution that shaped Chinese perception of the West today 1/ 
99 years ago, May 4th, 1919, Original Tiananmen students protest broke out. Students protested Allied Powers‘ betrayal at Versailles: German Shangdong colony given to Japan instead of returning to China despite China sent 140,000 men to work on the Western front 2/
The story begins with 1st Sino-Japanese War 1894-95. Japan after going thru full westernization program decisively defeated China which had a half-hearted “Self-Strengthening” modernization program that tried preserve Confucian traditions while adopt Western technology 3/
Japan defeating China triggered a new round of Imperial Powers scramble to carve up China. Germany particularly eager not to be left out. 4/
Germany took port city of Qingdao(Tsingtao) on Shangdong Peninsula where they brought over beer tech given birth to Tsingtao Beer 5/
Qingdao(Tsingtao) became major German base for its newly acquired Pacific colonies til eve of WW1 6/
Germany played leading role in attacking Chinese capital Beijing to suppress the Boxer Rebellion together with 8 Nation Alliance of Britain, France, United States, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan and Austria-Hungary in 1900. 7/
Britain view German presence as threat to its colonies in China. After WW1 broke out, Britain allied with Japan to besiege Qingdao. 23,000 Japanese and 1,500 British troops attacked 3650 Germans and 324 Austro-Hungarians. Japanese flagship Suwo and woodblock print 8/
British promised German Pacific colonies to Japan including Qingdao. Students explore a scale model of the Qingdao area depicting the city during a siege of the city by British and Japanese forces in October and November 1914. 9/
As WW1 wore on longer than anybody expected, Allied Powers faced acute labor shortages. British came up with a scheme to recruit Chinese labors. But China was neutral so she had to be persuaded to join the war 10/
China wanted to have German Shangdong colony returned. Entered US President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson asked China to enter the war and promised support for China to gain back Shangdong after Germany’s defeat. 11/
While young Republican China sees Britain and France as ruthless Imperial Powers, it has enormous regard for US which it hope to model after. Top Chinese diplomat was American educated Wellington Koo. Madam Koo, International style icon, popularized Cheongsam/Qipao 11/
China did as Wilson asked, entered War against Germany and send 340,000 men to Allied war effort. 140,000 went to Western Front, 200,000 went to Russia. Chinese comprised the largest non-European labor force on Allied side during WW1 12/
On the Western front, 140,000 Chinese labor were know as Chinese Labour Corp. They dug trenches, worked in timber yard, build steamers, repair railroad. 6000 were even sent to Iraq to work in Basra. 13/
China Labour Corp men load 9.2-inch shells onto a railway wagon at Boulogne for transport to the front line, August 1917 14/
China Labour Corps men and a British soldier cannibalise a wrecked Mark IV tank for spare parts at the central stores of the Tank Corps, Teneur, spring 1918. 15/
Chinese Labour Corps workers washing a Mark V tank at the Tank Corps Central Workshops, Erin, France, February 1918. 16/
In other cases, Chinese workers staffed munitions factory during World War I 17/
China Labour Corp men practice martial arts with swords in Crecy Forest, 27 January 1918 18/
200,000 Chinese men toiled in Russia. 10,000 Chinese build Murmansk railway in the Arctic Circle. After October Revolution, 40,000 plus Chinese would join the Red Army in the Russian Civil War 19/
Bulk of 340,000 Chinese men sent to work in WW1 frontline were recruited from Shangdong province, where Germany colony of Qingdao is located. British and French transport routes for Chinese workers to Europe. Little is known about routes to the Middle East and Russia. 20/
Unbeknownst to China, while China joined war on Allied side at US urging hoping 2 gain back Shangdong province, US-Japan signed secret Lansing-Ishii Agreement in 1917 where they recognized each other’s special “interests” in China. Japan’s interest is German colony Qingdao 21/
Fully believing Woodrow Wilson’s promise of self-determination, top Chinese diplomat Wellington Koo, who won Columbia-Cornell Debating Medal in his American school days, argued passionately 4 return of Shangdong at Paris Peace Conference 22/
Opposite of Wellington Koo is Japanese diplomat Baron Makino, skilled go player. Makino played his hand tactically. He knew Wilson’s baby is League of Nations. He proposed racial equality clause knowing full well US with its Jim Crow Laws would oppose... 23/
Japan then threaten to veto League of Nations which wouldn’t work without Japan, unless ...US agree to give Germany’s Former Shangdong colony to Japan. Wilson dutifully complied and decide to honor Lansing-Ishii agreement, selling Chinese down the river 24/
Wellington Koo isn’t only Chinese diplomat in Paris. There’s Trinidad born Eugene Chen who doesn’t speak Chinese but represent another Chinese government because China was divided between a Beijing government in North and Canton(Guangzhou) government in the South... 25/
Eugene Chen was Hakka Chinese born in Trinidad to a former Taiping Rebel who fled to Caribbean. Eugene became a lawyer and married French creole girl Agatha Alphosin Ganteaume. But he “returned” to China after 1911 Revolution overthrew Qing Imperial government. 26/
Grew disappointed with Beijing government, Eugene Chen went to join Sun Yatsen’s Canton (Guangzhou) government in the South. Here is Sun Yatsen with very young Chiang Kai-shek 27/
October Revolution broke out toward end of WW1. Suddenly alternative political model appeared to Chinese 28/
40,000 Chinese labor trapped in Russia joined Red Army in Russian Civil War. White Army propaganda poster depicting Trotsky as Satan wearing a Pentagram, and portraying the Bolsheviks' Chinese supporters as mass murderers. The caption reads, "Peace and Liberty in Sovdepiya". 29/
Soviet saw a chance to draw China away from West and to its camp. Soviet leaked details of secret US-Japan Lansing-Ishii agreement to Eugene Chen in Paris, who then leaked to Chinese press. Furious Chinese students took to street 2 protest at this betrayal especially by US 30/
Previously young Chinese had look up to US a beacon of democracy. Versailles Treaty made them realize US only pays lip service to freedom and democracy while ruthlessly pursuing self-interests. May 4th movement was born to protest weakness of Chinese gov and calls for reform 31/
Young people wanted 2 make China strong so it will not be bullied. They demand fundamental cultural and political changes to make it happen. There’s sense that Confucian traditions had failed China, China must welcome democracy and science and embrace modernity to move forward 32
Seminal May 4th movement witness upsurge of Chinese nationalism. New Chinese nationalists called for a rejection of traditional values and the selective adoption of Western ideals of "Mr. Science" (賽先生) and "Mr. Democracy" (德先生) in order to strengthen the new nation. 33/
Disillusioned with West, Looking for alternative political model lead some to look to newly found Soviet Union. Two leading intellectuals of May 4th movement Li Dazhao (left) and Chen Duxiu(right) co-founded Chinese Communist Party. 34/
While heading the Peking University library, Chinese Communist Party co-founder Li Dazhao would influence a young student working there, his name is Mao Zedong 35/
The other leading intellectual of May 4th Movement is Hu Shih, a classical liberal, who parted ways with Communists. But the Bourgeois soil upon Liberalism thrives is so scarce in China then, making their impact limited to small number of educated Urban elites 36/
Anti-traditionalism of May 4th movement eventually reached its logical conclusion during campaign to eradicate Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas in Cultural Revolution starting in 1966 which aimed to destroy all aspects of traditional Chinese culture 37/
1989 Tiananmen Square Students protest was the last echo of May 4th movement, and of the century Long Chinese Revolution. Students demanded political change to make the nation strong and prosper. Afterwards pragmatism would replace idealism 38/
China has come to full circle. New found confidence enable people to embrace tradition again. In 2011, Confucius statue even appeared in Tiananmen Square. But controversy remained. It was removed after 100 days without explanation 39/
After Cultural Revolution, China experience a brief honeymoon with the West in 1980s. Chinese youth hungered to learn about outside World. There was a lot of goodwill toward US. This period lasted beyond Tiananmen protest of 1989 40/
Big turning point in Chinese public opinion was 1998 US bombing of Chinese embassy in Belgrade where 3 Chinese journalists were killed. No one in China believed US claim of accidental bombing due to faulty maps. 41/
Adding fuel to the fire was collision of US spy plane near Hainan Island with Chinese PLA J-8 fighter plane in which caused J8 crash and emergency landing of US spy plane on Hainan Island. Previously pro-American sentiment of Chinese youth decidedly turned 42/
After Arab Spring, Many Chinese viewed US just as their elders in May 4th movement did: paying lip service to freedom n democracy while ruthlessly pursuing naked self-interests. Many sympathized when Geneva conference on Syria had no Syrians bc that was China’s lot 99 yrs ago 43/
May 4th is now official Youth day in China. Relief on Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square depicting May 4th movement. Thank you for reading this long thread. May the 4th be with you!🙏
