Figure 1.--This photo was taken in China in the early 20th century, certainly before 1905. Unfortunately, we don't know exactly where. It shows two boys from poor families, or perhaps two slave boys. Slavery was abolished in China in 1910, although the practice continued.

The Manchu/Qing Dynasty and slavery continued into the 20th century. The Qing Dynasty did move against slavery. Slavery was repeatedly abolished as a legally-established institution An abolition law was passed (1909) and fully enacted (1910). The Republic of China was establish (!912). The Republic also abolished slavery. The practice, however, continued in China, especially in remote areas as a matter of custom. We note captives being turned into slaves by Lolo tribesmen. China was a huge country and the Republican Government had only nominal control over largev areas. The KMT Republican Government faced a wide array of enormous issues and slavery was the least of their huge problems. Solving gthese problems were complicated by the war lords, Communists, and finally the Japanese. Thus slavery persisted, albeit at a declining level. The practice continued on a limited scale until the Communist Revolution (1949). While the Communists ended traditional slavery, they initiated a slave system of their own, setting up slave labor camps. Even after the free market reforms (1980s), forced labor has been reported in modern China, both in prison camps and employers paying bribes to local officials. This is a development that is notable in many Communist countries. This seems to be one of the measures along with sterilization that CCP authorities have used in its massive campaign against the Muslim Uighur people. 【Maizland】

Sources

Maizland, Lindsay. "China’s repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang," Council on Foreign Relations (September 22, 2022).

Created: 12:19 PM 3/27/2024
Last updated: 12:19 PM 3/27/2024