Surviving Manchukuo: the economic struggles of ordinary people in urban Manchukuo from 1937–1945

ABSTRACT This article explores the colonial experiences of Chinese people in urban Manchukuo from 1937–1945. Previous studies on Manchukuo have been framed primarily from the top-down, with emphasis on the role of government elites and Japan’s military expansionism, rather than on the ordinary experiences within the puppet state. Drawing on Chinese-language sources, the present research considers the impact of material shortages in ordinary people’s lives. It highlights how obtaining access to goods under the constant pressure of scarcities heavily depended on the establishment of interpersonal relations. This study examines how survival strategies and behaviours were shaped under economic pressure. It argues that ordinary people who were not in a position of power were able to negotiate their own terms for survival under the framework of superficial compliance.