Sensory Perceptions in the Tormented Sino-US Alliance, 1941–45

This paper draws from my new book, The Tormented Alliance: American Servicemen and the Occupation of China, 1941–1949 (UNC Press, 2022) to trace a sensory history of the US military presence in the Republic of China (ROC) during World War II. I use Chinese and English-language sources from China, Taiwan, Myanmar, and the United States to show how the Chinese Nationalist government established a hostel and cultural outreach program designed to demonstrate its commitment to the US-ROC alliance and persuade the Americans that Chinese deserved to be treated as equals. The Chinese government sought to achieve this latter aim by insulating American military personnel from affronts and offenses to the five senses. While this program succeeded operationally by keeping American forces housed and fed and the Chinese government’s expense, it failed in its larger aims. This paper will show how sensory perceptions influenced how Americans viewed their Chinese allies and contributed substantially to the deterioration of wartime Sino-American relations.