Abstract:

Examining the diary of ZHANG Tai rong, an ordinary intellectual and following the main clues of his personal experience, this thesis finds out a process of power reorganization of local elites with different social statuses and political positions in the 1920s. On the one hand, the elites who had won prestige in local society persevered in the tradition of local autonomy and took advantage of the new form of political party; on the other hand, intellectuals at middle and lower levels joined CPC in the “Mass Movement” and played more and more important roles in local affairs. The local situation of parties and identities was complicated. Intellectuals at middle and lower levels began to have the consciousness of national revolution inspired by the anti imperialism in the May 30th Movement in 1925. The case in Fenghua was a micro model of Chinese political development in the 20th century: party politics was connected with some political practice in the late Qing Dynasty; the traditional local elite-rule model was formally ended after local power ’s absorption into CPC; more social strata could be penetrated and more common people could be controlled only when individuals and groups were rigorously organized. In this way, CPC gained extensive support in society, strengthening its leadership in Chinese politics.