Overseas Chinese in China’s War of Resistance against Japan
(海外华人在抗日战争中的贡献)
5 min read
During China’s War of Resistance against Japan, overseas Chinese communities organized on a massive scale to support the struggle. More than 3,900 overseas Chinese groups were established worldwide. They conducted fundraising campaigns, donating money and materials to support frontline troops. For example, in 1942 Chinese communities in New York, Boston, and New England donated millions of yuan within days to mark the anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident (卢沟桥事变)—when Japanese troops started the full-scale invasion of China on 7 July 1937. The image below shows today’s Lugou Bridge (also known as the Marco Polo Bridge). Many overseas Chinese youths returned to China to join the military, directly participating in the fight against Japanese invaders. In addition, overseas Chinese communities used their international networks to publicize Japan’s aggression and China’s resistance, garnering widespread international sympathy and support.
Southeast Asia
When the full-scale Japanese invasion of China began near Beijing on 7 July 1937, overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia quickly sought ways to support China. In Singapore, leaders of the Chinese community convened a conference attended by representatives from the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaya, Burma, Singapore, and Hong Kong to coordinate support. They established the Nanyang Federation of China Relief Fund (南洋华侨筹赈祖国难民总会, 南侨总会) and selected the prominent Singaporean businessman and community leader Tan Kah Kee (陈嘉庚) as chair. Delegates returning home set up local relief offices to organize fundraising. Many supporters later perished during the Japanese occupation of Singapore.
Under Tan’s leadership, the organization mobilized large sums of money across Southeast Asia for war supplies, refugee relief, and assistance to families affected by the war, channeling critical financial, material, and humanitarian aid to China’s wartime government and relief agencies.
The 1,146-kilometer Burma Road (滇缅公路, images below), carved through rugged terrain by some 200,000 Chinese and Burmese laborers in just nine months, became China’s vital overland supply route after Japanese naval blockades cut off sea access. However, a shortage of trained drivers hampered transport. In early 1939, Tan Kah Kee and the Nanyang Chinese Relief Association called for experienced drivers and mechanics to serve on the Burma Road. Records indicate that 3,912 volunteers responded from British Malaya, Thailand, Indonesia, and other areas. They are remembered as the “Nanyang Machine Workers” (南洋机工).
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Over three years, these volunteers transported nearly half a million metric tons of supplies into China. Each journey was perilous due to treacherous roads, harsh terrain, Japanese bombing, and malaria. It is estimated that about one-third of the volunteers—roughly 1,000—died during the war. Today, the Archives of the Nanyang Volunteer Drivers and Mechanics, inscribed in UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Memory of the World Register, document their contributions. A memorial near the old Burma Road honors them with the inscription “Memorial to the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Machine Workers in Support of the War of Resistance against Japan” (南洋华侨机工回国抗日纪念碑).
After Singapore fell to Japan in 1942, Tan Kah Kee was targeted for his anti-Japanese activities and fled to Java (now Indonesia). While in hiding, he wrote the Memoirs of an Overseas Chinese of the Southern Ocean (南侨回忆录), an important historical account. After the war, he was denied reentry to Singapore in 1951 due to his sympathy for the People’s Republic of China. He later settled in China, where he was honored as a hero. He died in Beijing in 1961 at age 86. A statue of Tan stands in Xiamen, where he founded Jimei School (集美学校, 1918) and Xiamen University (厦门大学, 1921).
While most Japanese forces were deployed in China, Southeast Asian countries also faced invasion, and the Chinese diaspora participated in local resistance. In Malaya, the British helped organize overseas Chinese into the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), which conducted guerrilla warfare. After Malaya fell, British and Chinese authorities formed Force 136, whose members included many overseas Chinese engaged in intelligence and guerrilla operations.
In Singapore, the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army (星华义勇军) waged guerrilla warfare during the occupation. The unit was also known as Dalforce, after its instructor and commanding officer John Dalley. The British noted how ferociously they fought, earning them the nickname Dalley’s Desperadoes. In the Philippines, the Chinese Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces, founded in 1942, operated in 14 provinces, reportedly killing, injuring, or capturing over 2,000 enemy troops despite starting with only 52 members and nine rifles.
United States
Organizations such as the Chinese American Resistance Association, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, and the Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance raised roughly $25 million for China’s war effort—a significant sum given the limited means of many Chinese Americans. Physicians helped establish a blood banks and the American Bureau for Medical Aid to China, while volunteers worked with the Red Cross to prepare bandages, medicines, and vaccines. Many also advocated for U.S. policies favorable to China.
Approximately 12,000–15,000 Chinese American men—up to about 20 percent of the Chinese American male population—served in the U.S. armed forces during the Pacific War. Some joined units associated with the Flying Tigers. Chinese American communities also founded flying clubs to train young pilots; 32 trainees, including some women, went to China to assist the war effort.
Canada
Chinese Canadians supported both Canada’s and China’s war efforts. They purchased Victory Bonds and organized fundraisers, sending about $5 million directly to China and another $4 million to war relief funds. Many volunteered for service in Canadian and Allied forces, and some joined Force 136.
Legacy
Overseas Chinese contributed both materially and symbolically to China’s resistance and eventual victory in 1945. Their support had lasting effects on postwar developments, diaspora identity, and collective memory, helping lay the foundation for enduring transnational networks that continue to shape cultural exchange, philanthropy, and civic engagement. This wartime legacy remains a symbol of shared heritage, influencing return migration, investment, cultural ties, and political outreach.
Additional resources for readers:
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-12-me-38545-story.html
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