The four big families

The four major financial and political groups that dominated China in the 1930s and 1940s were the Chiang Kai-shek family, the Soong Tzu-wen family, the Kong Xiang-xi family, and the Chen Guo-fu and Chen Li-fu families. Of these, the Chen family was not directly related by blood, but participated in the CC group and other forms. All four families rose above the ruling class of landlords, bureaucrats, and loan sharks, and were state monopoly capitalist groups that used the state and party organizations.

Chiang Kai-shek was born to a salt merchant in Zhejiang Province, and at a young age worked as a broker at an exchange in Shanghai under the patronage of the Zhejiang financial group. He took control of the army and also major banks, making him the most powerful of the four major families. Soong Tzu-wen built up his power around modern banks, controlling insurance, various distribution businesses, and heavy industrial production, while keeping his own assets mainly in America. Kong Xiangxi grew from a local conglomerate in Shanxi Province by controlling banks and distribution businesses. The Chen brothers started out in the distribution industry, and formed the political association CC Group to control banks and other businesses. The feud between the four families was strong, and control of the government's finance department and major banks was transferred from the Soong family to the Kong family, and was regained by the Soong family at the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and then transferred to the Chen family after the war. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China, it lost all its power and was disbanded, with some of its assets transferred to Taiwan and the United States.

[Yuzo Kato]

“China’s Four Great Families,” written by Chen Boda, translated by Hisan Okane (1955, Aoki Shoten) ▽ “Bureaucratic Capital,” written by Xu Chuxin, translated by Ryuzo Yamashita (1953, Aoki Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1930～40年代に中国を支配した四大財閥・政治集団で、蒋介石(しょうかいせき／チヤンチエシー)一族、宋子文(そうしぶん／ソンツーウェン)一族、孔祥煕(こうしょうき／コンシヤンシー)一族、陳果夫(ちんかふ／チェンクオフー)・陳立夫(ちんりっぷ／チェンリーフー)一族をさす。このうち陳一族は直接の血縁関係はなく、CC団などの形で参加した。4家とも地主、官僚、高利貸という支配層の上にたち、国家・党組織を利用しつつ国家独占資本主義の集団であった。

　蒋介石は浙江(せっこう／チョーチヤン)省の塩商の出身、若くして上海(シャンハイ)で浙江財閥の庇護(ひご)のもとに取引所の仲買人をしたことがある。陸軍を掌握すると同時に主要な銀行を手中に収め、四大家族のうちでも圧倒的な力を誇った。宋子文は新式銀行を中心として実力を蓄え、保険や各種の流通・重工業生産を押さえ、自分の資産はおもにアメリカに温存した。孔祥煕は山西(さんせい／シャンシー)省の地方財閥から銀行・流通を握ることで成長した。陳兄弟は流通業から身をおこし、政治結社CC団をつくって銀行などを押さえた。4家の確執は強く、政府の財政部や主要銀行の支配権も宋家から孔家へ移り、日中戦争末期には宋家が奪回、戦後は陳家に移っている。新中国の成立により実権をすべて失い、資産の一部を台湾・アメリカに移して解体した。

［加藤祐三］

『陳伯達著、大金久展訳『中国四大家族』（1955・青木書店）』▽『許滌新著、山下龍三訳『官僚資本論』（1953・青木書店）』

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