| 英文摘要 |
Early modern Manchuria experienced a significantly different kind of historical development compared to the rest of China. Not only were Manchurian villages different from their counterparts in China proper, but even within Manchuria there were significant differences in ecology and economic conditions, the structure of rural communities, and agricultural management and technologies. One of the most striking socioeconomic differences between Manchuria and China proper, however, was the high proportion of agricultural wage laborers. As a result of its singular uniqueness, the issue of agricultural wage labor in Manchuria is often overlooked in studies of early modern China. This paper focuses on analyzing the social relations that played an important role in agricultural laborer migration, as a way to investigate the unique characteristics and changes in rural society in the Manchukuo period (1931-1945). My primary sources are the reports of village surveys conducted by Japanese investigators in Manchuria during the time of Manchukuo. These reports contain large volumes of extremely detailed data on Manchuria's rural economy and society, and are some of the few sources available for understanding rural Manchurian society at that time. In addition to a brief overview of these village surveys, this paper primarily focuses on the migration of agricultural laborers, including their reported reasons for moving and the paths they traveled, in order to explore the living conditions and social relations of this predominant group in Manchurian rural society. |
