Ying Jia Tan (Wesleyan University)

In Recharging China in War and Revolution, 1882–1955 (Cornell University Press, 2021), Ying Jia Tan argues that, even in times of peace, the Chinese economy operated as though still at war, constructing power systems that met immediate demands but sacrificed efficiency and longevity. This talk explores the effects of China’s catastrophic loss of 97 percent of its power generating capacity during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It looks at how wartime mobilization accelerated China’s transition towards coal as the main fuel source for power generation, led to the creation of a homegrown electrical equipment manufacturing industry, and inspired a vision of national reconstruction driven by massive hydropower projects.