Gung Ho – ICCIC

The International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (ICCIC, also known by its nickname Gung Ho International Committee) was founded in 1939 in Hong Kong to form cooperatives in China. The organization's nickname and slogan, Gung Ho, means "work hard and work together".

History

Rewi Alley, Edgar Snow, Helen Snow, and others initiated the Gung Ho (工合 "Gong He", literally "work together") movement in Shanghai in 1937. The movement aimed to organize unemployed workers and refugees, increasing production to support the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression. Subsequently, the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Association (CICA), or 'Indusco', was established in 1938.[1]

When the committee was founded in 1939, Ms. Soong Ching Ling was elected honorary chair and the Anglican Bishop of Hong Kong, the Right Rev. R. O. Hall to be chair, and Dr. Chen Han Sheng was appointed as secretary general.[2][3]

In 1941, the Gung Ho movement reached its peak: around 3,000 cooperatives with a combined membership of nearly 300,000 people were functioning.[4] They produced more than 500 products for the local people, and a large number of blankets, uniforms and other army supplies for the battlefront. The unique role of Gung Ho cooperatives in the war also won such international acclaim that the term "Gung Ho" became a famous slogan of the U.S. Marine Corps, and entered the English language as a term denoting whole-hearted dedication to a meaningful cause.[5]

In 1942, Alley was dismissed from Gung Ho by the government of Chiang Kai-shek.[4] Both CICA and ICCIC suspended their works in 1952.

Revival

The CICA was revived in 1983, and the ICCIC was revived in 1987 in Beijing by Alley and other former Gung Ho leaders.[4] The reorganized ICCIC registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of People's Republic of China as an international non-profit organization. Zhu Xuefan was elected as honorary chair and Alley as chair.

The main task of the revived ICCIC is the promotion of cooperatives in China. Membership is open to all individuals and organizations who support the cooperative movement. So far, the committee has approximately 100 members from China, Australia, Germany, Belgium, France, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Hong Kong.

The ICCIC’s General Assembly of all members meets every five years. The Executive Board elected by the Assembly is responsible for decision-making on major issues according to its articles of association during the adjournment of the Assembly. A secretariat is set up to handle day-to-day work.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Rewi Alley". New Zealand China Friendship Society. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
  2. ↑ Alley, Rewi (1997). Rewi Alley: an autobiography. New World Press. ISBN 978-7-80005-344-3. OCLC 48776431.
  3. ↑ "Introduction". International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives. Beijing: International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
  4. 1 2 3 "International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Co-operatives". New Zealand China Friendship Society. New Zealand China Friendship Society. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
  5. ↑ "Introduction of ICCIC". International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives. Retrieved 2009-03-17.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.