The Struggle of Petty Citizens' Wages in the Republic Era

  Quoted from Shanxi Hequ County Local Chronicles

  The monthly salary of county officials and employees during the Republic of China can be seen in the table below.

  The monthly salary of other personnel is as follows: clerks 14 yuan, inspectors 12 yuan, employees 10 yuan, and public servants 8 yuan.

  Labor and Finance

  During the Republic of China, there were three forms of employment in this county: "long-term workers", with a term of 1 to several years; "monthly workers", hired for busy months, lasting from 1 to several months; and "daily workers", temporarily employed on a daily basis. Before and after the 15th year of the Republic of China, the annual salary for long-term workers was approximately 12,000 wen, equivalent to about 8-10 yuan in silver dollars. Monthly workers earned around 1,000 wen per month. Daily workers earned around 35 wen per day. According to "China Industrial Gazette", in the 24th year of the Republic of China, the annual salary for male long-term workers was 25 yuan, and temporary daily workers earned 0.13 yuan; female servants earned an annual salary of 20 yuan.

  Shop clerks, around the 10th year of the Republic of China, the first year's salary was about 1,800 yuan, the second year was 2,400 yuan, and the third year did not exceed 8,000 yuan. After the currency reform, the salary was about 15 yuan.

  Quoted from Minqing County Annals of Fujian Province

  There are two types of hired laborers: long-term (commonly known as annual) and short-term. Long-term laborers receive food and lodging from their employers throughout the year, while short-term laborers may or may not receive meals. In 1912, the average annual wage for a long-term laborer in the county was 41.8 yuan. By 1926, this had increased to 60.1 yuan per year. Short-term laborers were paid daily wages: during busy farming seasons, those who did not receive meals earned 0.4 yuan per day, while those who received meals earned 0.3 yuan; during slack seasons, those who did not receive meals earned 0.4 yuan, and those who received meals earned 0.2 yuan. During the war years until the eve of liberation, due to currency devaluation, long-term laborers' wages were changed to 700-1000 kilograms of grain per year, while short-term laborers' wages were changed to around 8 dou (10 small market catties) of rice per day... The "Statistical Summary of the Republic of China" for 1933 contains statistics on the wages of hired laborers in most counties of various provinces, including those in this region (see Table 1).

  Table 1

  Republic of China 22nd year (1933) Shanxi Northwest part of the county hired workers' wages list (unit: silver yuan)

  County Gender Long-term Worker (Year-round Worker) Monthly Worker Daily Worker

  Highest Lowest Average Boarding Situation Highest Lowest

  Low-lying

  Accommodation and meal arrangements are best

  Tallest

  Low-lying

  Boarding situation

  Child Labor