棄民何從：一個冀東小人物的身分表演（1931-1948）

Whom Do Abandoned Persons Depend On? An Example of Identity Performance in Eastern Hebei, 1931–1948

1947年10月，北平警備總司令部奉命抓捕一個名為孟珍的共產黨嫌疑分子，隨後將之移交北平行轅審訊。隨著調查的深入，北平行轅卻愈發難以確定這名中年男子的身分。因為在搜集情報過程中發現，孟珍於軍閥混戰時曾組建地方武裝，淪陷時改充「偽職」，抗戰勝利後又以「地下工作者」身分加入保密局，與此同時還與中共解放區有千絲萬縷的聯繫，並且每一種身分背後都有一些真假難辨的證據支撐。如果嘗試從基層個體的生存邏輯去理解，孟珍這些彼此矛盾的身分背後，呈現出一種長期被戰爭環境逐步影響、塑造的「棄民」心態。這種心態的具體表現包括對國族觀念的疏離、對地方強權的依附，以及艱難苟活過程中對不同勢力迎合性的表演。「棄民」的背後，不止有戰火下升斗小民的順從樣態，孟珍的例子亦展示了亂世迭變中一些擅機巧者可以騰挪的活動空間，也告訴我們，中國近代民族主義浪潮湧動中，既有對民眾的深刻影響，也有浮於表層的假象。凡此種種，無不反映近代中國走向民族—國家之路的曲折。

In October 1947, the Beiping Garrison Command was ordered to arrest suspected communist Meng Zhen孟珍, who was then handed over to the Beiping Mobile Barracks of the High Command行轅for interrogation. But as the investigation deepened, it became increasingly difficult to ascertain the identity of the middle-aged man. During the process of gathering intelligence, it was discovered that Meng Zhen had formed a local armed force during the Warlord Era, acted as a traitor during the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance, and joined the Security Bureau保密局as an“underground worker”following the war; at the same time, Meng Zhen was also inextricably linked with the liberated areas of the CCP. When trying to grasp an understanding from the survival logic of grassroots individuals, behind the contradictory identities that Meng Zhen is performing, there is an influence of a so-called“abandoned persons”mentality which had been gradually shaped by the long period of conflict. The specific manifestations of this notion include alienation from the concept of nationality, dependence on local power, and the performance of catering to different forces in the course of everyday survival. Of course, what lies behind this abandonment mentality is more than just the submissive attitude of ordinary people in the midst of war. The example of Meng Zhen shows a space in which shrewd individuals can maneuver when navigating chaotic situations. More broadly, the rising trend of nationalism in modern China had not only a profound impact on the people, but also the difficulty penetrating into the grassroots, a phenomenon which undoubtedly reflects the twists and turns of modern China’s road to becoming a nation-state.