The Tobacco Farmers In Yunnan Under The Monopoly Of Tobacco Industry

The thesis described the life and production style of the tobacco farmers in Yunnan through the author’s investigations in Hongxing Village in Yunnan and the relative villagers’journals from tobacco growing areas in Mile and Shilin county in Yunnan, it analyzed that the tobacco growing brought changes for the minority group villages on their living model and value system. It tried to ponder over the changes among the transitions of the minority group villages, and revealed why different groups obtained distinct distribution of interests because of their different positions and diverse models of participation with the progress of modern market economy.It firstly showed the historical background concerning the tobacco industry development in Yunnan. It pointed it’s a choice for the local government in Yunnan to develop the tobacco industry to accumulate capital under the finance pressure. The strategy to take the economy development as the core principle, and the reform of tax farming on the finance system promoted and drove the development of tobacco industry in1980. Later, it showed the development of tobacco industry in rural areas in Yunnan that how the villagers in Hongxing Village,Xinping. brought in and promoted tobaccos growing.Tobaccos appeared in Hongxing Village in1940. but it entered the farmers life until1980s when government forced. The author calculated the cost and revenues to grow tobaccos and compared with competitors of agricultural crops nationwide.and concluded that the revenues of tobaccos growing was lower, work was hard,risks was high. Then the author took on and analyzed the selection of the farmers. Later, it demonstrated which strategies the farmers used to strive for their own interests when they must to grow tobaccos.Finally the author reviewed the effect aroused to the villagers to grow tobaccos. It realized, firstly the tobacco-growing led the changes on living style, it’s a mandatory process to promote the tobacco growing, which constrained the villagers’ economic activities under the control and influence from the government, as a commercial crop, it brought the minority group villages into bigger economic network,thus triggered dependent relationships. Furthermore, the mechanism of the market economy gradually invaded in the original value system, for instance, the simplification of the traditional ceremonies, the sacrifice and wedding materials by purchasing replaced the obtaining process which needed coordination and cooperation originally, individual’s position got to be fixed by incomes and their ability to earn money. The thesis finally realized the current situation the tobacco farmers encountered is a transitional part of the history, it’s a question that how the farmers, accounting for the biggest portion of the population, can enjoy the advantages triggered by country’s development while they supported the nation.