From Burma to Ramgarh: The Origins of the Chinese Expeditionary Force Ramgarh Training Center
By Cao Yin
Tsinghua University, Beijing
In 1942, the Chinese Expeditionary Force was sent into Burma to fight against the Japanese. As Burma fell into the hands of the Japanese, the Chinese soldiers were brought to Ramgarh, northeast India, for training. The process of withdrawing the Chinese units from Burma to India and the negotiation of selecting Ramgarh as the site for training the Chinese troops, however, have not drawn any scholarly attention. This article argues that the establishment of the Ramgarh Training Center was a result of decades-long colonial internment camp building in India and the disputes and compromises that arose between the British, American, and Chinese authorities during World War II. It further points out that the transnationalization of approaches and archives is necessary for us to better comprehend China’s War of Resistance that has long been narrated within the Chinese national historiography.