Abstract
This article examines how the Chinese Nationalist government ruled Fujian rural society in the 1930s and 1940s by focusing on such issues as family registration, reform of land administration, and agricultural cooperative services. In 1934, the Chinese Nationalist government took control of Long-yan county in west Fujian, which had long been a stronghold of the Chinese Communist Party. Subsequently, in order to exercise control over its rural population, the new regime carried out a series of extensive reforms. Initially, it introduced a family registration system for conscription purposes. This was then followed by reform of the land administration, which was expected to increase land tax. Finally, an agricultural cooperative was founded and spread throughout the area. As these three reforms were interrelated, by examining their implementation we can understand the extent of the Chinese Nationalist government's control over the Fujian rural population. Moreover, given that lineage ties had been traditionally very strong in this area, this article also inspects how these reforms were in turn affected by the social structure of Fujian rural society.
