Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.4, 2015

 

International Trade Frictions, United Resistance and Industrial Upgrading: A Focus on the Silk Industry in Suzhou in the 1920s

(Abstract)

 

Wang Xiang

 

Japan’s announcement that it would levy import duties on luxury goods in July 1924 involved imposition of a high tariff on imports of Chinese silk and led to serious trade frictions between China and Japan. The Suzhou silk industry, with Japan and Korea as its main export markets, was the first to be affected as it saw a slump in production and sales. On behalf of the Suzhou silk industry, the Suzhou Chamber of Commerce took the lead in protesting against the wanton imposition of this heavy tax by signing petitions, holding rallies and making declarations, publishing open telegrams and lobbying the authorities, etc. As a result, they gained strong support from business groups such as the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Domestic Goods Support Association, and the Joint Silk Weaving Association of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, and sparked a wave of united resistance. During the course of this resistance, the Suzhou silk industry once again turned pressure into a driving force and crisis into an opportunity, reconstructing the character of its industry and achieving upgrading by its own efforts.