Unite the Proletariat of the Whole World — The United Struggle of Dalian-China-Japan-Korea Workers
Unite the proletariat of the whole world, what a romantic and majestic slogan. Persisting in the stance of internationalism has always been a fundamental requirement for Marxists. But many oppose this point, "You want to unite with the proletariat of other countries, but those countries' proletariat may not be willing to unite with you." Regarding malicious sarcasm, Marxists treat it like dust on their bodies, dismissing it. But returning to the reality of class struggle, Marxists must insist on starting from reality. It should be clearly recognized that the international solidarity of the proletariat, like the class struggle within the country, has a process from spontaneity to consciousness, without the leadership of a vanguard, without armed scientific theory, without meticulous mass work, the international unity of the proletariat will not fall from the sky out of nowhere. Below takes Dalian during the Japanese occupation as an example.
Dalian has a long and humiliating history of colonization, so-called “One Lüshun Port, half of modern history.” Tsarist imperialism and Japanese imperialism took turns occupying Dalian, chaining the Chinese compatriots in Lüshun, making the national contradictions in Dalian very sharp on a national scale. On the other hand, the Russian and Japanese imperialists implemented aggressive policies in Dalian, plundering cheap raw materials, and objectively developed a certain modern industry, cultivating a group of workers. Unlike now, at that time, Dalian was considered a relatively developed city on a national scale, although under colonial rule and a distorted colonial economy, plus the small urban area, the number of workers was relatively large, and it was regarded as an industrial city. Despite this, the large number of workers were in extremely painful living conditions, with red houses, economic criminals, and the brutal exploitation and oppression by Japanese imperialism being rare worldwide, making class contradictions very sharp. Under the dual sharpness of national and class contradictions, Dalian’s working class had an unyielding, fearless revolutionary spirit and high political consciousness and patriotism.
Dalian’s uniqueness also lies in its role as a bridgehead for Japanese invasion into Northeast Asia, and a necessary passage for crossing into Manchuria. The suffering people from various provinces inside and outside the pass gathered here, including laborers from Korea, Japan, and other ethnic minorities in Northeast Asia, many of whom worked here. Facing such complex circumstances, relying solely on the local working class to fight is difficult, especially since Japanese imperialism is notorious for its brutality. Confronted with long-term colonial rule and brutal fascist dictatorship, how did Dalian’s working class, under the leadership of the Party, strengthen mutual solidarity among workers of different countries, and achieve victory in struggles against colonial authorities and Japanese capitalists?
The first united struggle of Chinese and Japanese workers against Japanese militarist authorities was the May Thirtieth Movement of 1925. At that time, the southern May Thirtieth Movement was surging, coinciding with the National Day of the Republic of China on October 10. Under the Party’s leadership, over ten thousand workers of the Chinese Dalian Workers’ Union lowered the medicated flag at Manchu Railway Sports Ground, raised the flag of the Republic of China, and Communist Yang Zhiyun sharply condemned Japanese imperialism and the Beiyang warlord government, stirring patriotic fervor. Then the participants began marching, led by worker leaders like Fu Jingyang, with banners flying, including dock workers, printing workers, and tram workers. Following them were patriotic teachers and students from Chinese private educational institutions such as the Chinese Youth League, Peide School, and the Poor People’s Volunteer School. The grand parade passed through the main traffic arteries of Dalian, covering over fifty miles, with the route winding back and forth. Wherever they went, Chinese people cheered loudly, fireworks roared, flags waved high, and the entire universe was shaken. Many Chinese merchants hung flags at their shop entrances, welcoming warmly. Some primary and secondary school students followed the parade, singing and cheering, walking over six hours with energetic spirits and no signs of fatigue.
Inspired by the rising tide of the workers’ movement in Dalian, Japanese workers at Shahekou Factory, including Yokomoto, demanded an eight-hour workday from the factory owners. Upon learning this, Fu Jingyang and other union leaders immediately convened a meeting of the Dalian Chinese Workers’ Union to discuss how to support the Japanese workers’ struggle. They decided to “first convene a China-Japan Workers’ Mutual Aid Meeting” to communicate ideas, unite efforts, and fight side by side.
Yokota was very pleased upon hearing this, saying: “The convening of the China-Japan Workers’ Mutual Aid Meeting strengthens the unity and struggle of Chinese and Japanese workers. We will further develop friendly relations through common interests, and in the future, Japanese workers will invite Chinese worker representatives to our Japanese Youth League for a joint celebration, to discuss major issues concerning the interests of China and Japan workers, and carry forward our common cause to the end.”
Japanese capitalists, fearing that China-Japan workers’ unity would become even more difficult to deal with, used brutal colonial laws to ban the China-Japan Workers’ Mutual Aid Meeting, arresting Fu Jingyang, Yokota, and others. The great anti-imperialist patriotic struggle and the unity of Japanese workers achieved through organization were overturned.
However, the memories and feelings of joint struggle between Chinese and Japanese workers under the leadership of the Communist Party cannot be eradicated by colonizers. It is precisely this shared experience of fighting together, of being exploited and oppressed by capitalists, that promoted the unity and class consciousness of Chinese and Japanese workers. Since then, incidents of Chinese and Japanese workers fighting each other in the Shahekou factory disappeared. When Japanese foremen beat Chinese workers, Japanese workers openly opposed and helped speak for Chinese workers. In production, Chinese and Japanese workers jointly “slacked off” to deceive Japanese foremen. They also united to oppose Japanese capitalists and achieved some victories in struggles.
After the Great Revolution, the revolutionary situation in Dalian sharply deteriorated. Many outstanding leaders of the working class who emerged during the struggle were arrested, and the unity of workers from various countries seemed to be on the verge of collapse. But the fire was smoldering underground, waiting to ignite. Wherever there was oppression, there was resistance. During this period, although there were no open demonstrations of proletarian unity from all countries, the struggle of “slacking off,” sabotaging production, and opposing the replacement of proletarians from different countries never ceased.
At that time, some party organizations still existed in Dalian’s oil mills, which had not been destroyed. In 1932, the CCP Dalian Santai Oil Mill Branch, based on the seasonal nature of oil production, composed slogans like “Nanshan turned green, Oil Lord became a spirit” to mobilize over 500 workers to strike in spring. The party and union organizations used methods such as pre-arranged contact, signaling with stones, and unified action to lead the various small and medium-sized oil mills in Dalian and the Santai Oil Mill to strike simultaneously. When workers saw stones thrown through windows, they knew it was a signal to strike, and they stopped machines to join the united strike.
During the peak oil extraction season, capitalists made huge profits. The workers at Santai Oil Mill struck for three days; Kureha suffered significant economic losses, and to restore production quickly, he increased workers’ wages to 15 yuan per month. The strike was victorious. All factories participating in the united strike near Santai Oil Mill also raised wages. This victory even attracted the attention of the Manchurian Provincial Committee, which specifically placed the Dalian oil workers’ strike in an important position in the Northeast workers’ movement and provided specific guidance.
The heavy blow dealt to Japanese capitalists did not kill their greed. They immediately dismissed more than 20 workers from Dongchangfu, Shandong, and brought in a batch of workers from their branch factory in Korea to replace them.
At that time, Korea, like Dalian, was also a Japanese colony. Many Koreans worked and made a living in Dalian. Both Korean and Chinese workers in Dalian hated Japanese imperialism very much. When they gathered, they often discussed how to resist colonial rule. The story of An Jung-geun, the Korean national hero who assassinated Japanese Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi, was well known among Dalian workers.
The Chinese Communist Party has always actively supported the revolutionary struggles of the Korean people. On August 29, 1932, the CCP Manchurian Provincial Committee issued a letter titled “To Commemorate the 23rd Anniversary of Korea’s Loss of Country on August 29,” calling for “Korean and Chinese workers and peasants to unite” and using strikes and other struggles to commemorate Korea’s national loss. The next day, the CCP Manchurian Provincial Committee issued a “Resolution on Opposing Internal Party Strife,” which clearly demanded that “the work of Korean workers in Dalian and other industrial centers, including recruiting active members into the Party,” be strengthened. On September 4 of the same year, the CCP Manchurian Provincial Committee adopted the “Resolution on Commemorating Korea’s Loss of Country on August 29,” requiring local Party organizations to “thoroughly expose Japanese imperialism and the bourgeoisie’s schemes to sow discord between China and Korea, and to weaken the revolutionary forces of China and Korea.” The local Dalian Party organizations implemented these directives, and the united struggle of Chinese and Korean workers in Dalian continued to develop.
Not only did the Chinese Communist Party actively lead the united struggle of Chinese and Korean workers, but the workers of both countries also formed deep friendships in daily life. When the Mitsubishi Corporation invested in a petroleum refining plant in northern Korea, they sent a batch of oil extraction technicians from Dalian to teach new workers. Chinese workers selflessly taught Korean workers oil extraction techniques. Some Korean workers not only learned the skills but also learned Chinese. Chinese and Korean workers once united to fight against agents of Japanese conglomerates, demanding better living conditions. That winter, the oil mill caught fire, and the clothes and bedding of Chinese workers were burned. Many Korean workers gave their only clothes to Chinese comrades far from their homeland. Through joint labor and life, Chinese and Korean workers forged brotherly bonds.
The group of Korean workers brought from Santai Oil Mill included some who had been apprentices of Chinese workers, now become masters; some were apprentices of former Chinese apprentices. When they met Chinese workers, it was like old friends reuniting after a long separation. When they learned that Japanese capitalists used them to replace dismissed Chinese workers to suppress strikes, they resolutely declared: “We will fight shoulder to shoulder with Chinese workers and crush the schemes of Japanese capitalists.” Therefore, Korean and Chinese workers used various methods of sabotage, such as deliberate work slowdowns, causing increasingly serious idling at Santai Oil Mill, reducing oil output, and increasing factory losses. The arrival of Korean workers not only did not weaken Chinese workers but strengthened the fighting force of the workers. Seeing this, Kureha, the Japanese boss, hurriedly ordered the return of these Korean workers. Chinese and Korean workers supported each other, jointly resisting Japanese invaders, and composed a victorious song of unity and struggle.
