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I. Introduction
A. Questions
To understand the present Chinese government policy towards the Koreans in China, it is essential to be aware of the policy of the former Chinese governments including the Chinese Communists because there are some factors of continuity. What was the policy of the warlord government, the Republican government and the Chinese Communists Party towards the Koreans in China before 1945. Did they regard the Koreans as foreigners or as an ethnic minority group? What rights did the Korean people enjoy during this period? What was the nature of the relationship between the Han Chinese and the Koreans at that time? After Japan became involved in Manchuria, how did the situation change? Furthermore, how did the Koreans respond to the policies of former Chinese governments? These questions will be addressed in this paper.
B. A Brief History of Manchuria in this Period
After the Revolution in 1911 led by Sun Yatsen, China entered the warlord period. In Manchuria (now it is called as Northeast, Dongbei in which Jilin, Heilungjiang and Liaoning provinces are included), the Fengtien (nowadays Shenyang) government was led by a warlord, Zhang Zuolin. In 1927, Chiang Kai-Shek took control of the southern warlords and declared a Republican government in Nanjing (Nanking) with the support of the United States and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Zhang Xueliang, the son of Zhang Zuolin who had been assassinated by the Japanese extended his influence in northern China including Beijing. However, although he was the real power in northern China and Manchuria, Zhang Zuolin recognised the legitimacy of the Nanjing government as the rulers of China.1 The Republican government therefore became the first unified government of China at the end of 1928. This meant that in Manchuria, the Fengtien government was the only authority to hold administrative power. Therefore, they had to develop a policy concerning the Koreans.
In this period, movement of the Chinese communists was embryonic. Moreover, Korean communism was erupted earlier than the Chinese counterparts in Manchuria. They fought against the Japanese imperiaism. Before 1931, Koean communist movement was very active so that the issue of Koreans were diplomatic matters between the Chinese government and Japanese government. Invasion into Manchuria by the Japanese and consequent establishment of Manchukuo Government in 1932...