The Incremental Takeover of Shanghai’s Civil Society

In the first years of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pursued a careful and flexible policy of incrementalism in the takeover of educational and charitable institutions in Shanghai, most of which had strong ties to the Guomindang (GMD), wealthy capitalists, or foreign missionaries. Soon after entering Shanghai in May 1949, the CCP moved quickly to register organizations’ and institutions’ means of finance, regulate the ownership of land and assets by foreigners and those affiliated with the GMD, and prevent any transfer of assets to circumvent these regulations. Once the Korean War began, all foreign funding was cut off and institutions affiliated with foreigners or “counter-revolutionaries” began being appropriated by the state.

Nonetheless, the new regime was pre-occupied with military affairs and economic reconstruction in the first years of its existence, and needed time to establish and staff its Civil Affairs, Health, and Education Bureaus before assuming control in these areas. In the meantime, the state had to meet the demand for these services by providing financial relief and assistance to keep “imperialist” and “anti-party” intuitions afloat. In the end, all were converted to or merged into state-run institutions, often retaining most of their staff after a thorough political examination and a period of political study and thought reform. Even after being taken over by the state, these institutions were considered politically suspect and personnel were regularly monitored by party cadres into the 1960s. Therefore, an in-depth examination shows that the party’s policy on educational and charitable institutions in Shanghai rode the political winds of nationwide campaigns but also adapted “in accordance with local conditions” as CCP guidelines dictated. This caused policy to vacillate between reluctant tolerance, repression, and co-optation, highlighting Shanghai’s unique place within the politics of the early PRC.