Following the insightful presentations by Professors Eugene Chiu and Hsu Yuming at the seminar held on March 29, 2025, Dr. Augustine Pan moderated a spirited Q&A session. The audience posed questions that ranged from Wang Jingwei’s attitude toward the Communist Party and the strategic shifts following the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States, to the intricacies of Sino-Japanese cooperation. The exchange of ideas between the audience and the professors was memorable. Watch the third installment of the seminar series now!
The Chongqing government was unable to reach the people in the occupied territories. Who, then, was there to care for them? Who would negotiate with the Japanese on their behalf?HSU YUMING
In discussing Wang Jingwei’s reaction to the Pearl Harbor incident, Professor Hsu Yuming noted that Wang viewed Japan’s declaration of war on the United States—before resolving the “China Incident”—as “self-destructive.” Consequently, the Nanjing government had no choice but to adopt a “sink or swim together” stance, attempting to mediate in order to end the conflict on the Chinese front. Meanwhile, Professor Eugene Chiu and Dr. Augustine Pan explored the concept of the “Chinese nation” (Zhonghua Minzu), observing that the debates over “nationalism” and “citizenship” sparked by Wang, Liang Qichao, and others during the late Qing and early Republican periods remain unresolved challenges to this day.
We thank the March 29th audience for their enthusiastic participation, which transformed this seminar into an opportunity for deep historical inquiry, harnessing collective wisdom to explore the truths of Republican history.
This year, the Trust will continue to host a series of seminars. We invite readers to subscribe to our newsletters to stay informed about upcoming talks and join rigorous scholars in re-examining political figures in modern Chinese history.