Gung Ho - ICCIC
Encyclopedia
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 cooperative
s in China. The organization's nickname and slogan, Gung Ho, means "work hard and work together".
, 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 was established in 1938.
When the committee was founded in 1939, Ms. Soong Ching Ling was elected honorary chair and the Anglican Bishop of Hong Kong, R. D. Hall to be chair, and Dr. Chen Han Sheng was appointed as secretary general.
In 1941, the Gung Ho movement reached its peak: around 3,000 cooperatives with a combined membership of nearly 300,000 people were functioning. 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.
In 1942, Alley was dismissed from Gung Ho by the government of Chiang Kai-shek
. Both CICA and ICCIC suspended their works in 1952.
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.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to form cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
s in China. The organization's nickname and slogan, Gung Ho, means "work hard and work together".
History
Rewi AlleyRewi Alley
Rewi Alley, 路易•艾黎, Lùyì Àilí, QSO, , was a New Zealand-born writer, educator, social reformer, potter, and member of the Communist Party of China....
, Edgar Snow
Edgar Snow
Edgar P. Snow was an American journalist known for his books and articles on Communism in China and the Chinese Communist revolution...
, 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 was established in 1938.
When the committee was founded in 1939, Ms. Soong Ching Ling was elected honorary chair and the Anglican Bishop of Hong Kong, R. D. Hall to be chair, and Dr. Chen Han Sheng was appointed as secretary general.
In 1941, the Gung Ho movement reached its peak: around 3,000 cooperatives with a combined membership of nearly 300,000 people were functioning. 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
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as a term denoting whole-hearted dedication to a meaningful cause.
In 1942, Alley was dismissed from Gung Ho by the government of Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
. 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. 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
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the United States of America, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
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.