A Historical Anthropological Study Of Youyang Tung Oil In The Period Of The Republic Of China

Tung oil is a kind of vegetable oil obtained by squeezing tung seeds produced by tung trees.Due to its unique features of drying,waterproof and anticorrosion,it has been widely used in the manufacture of ships and airplanes.It becomes an important strategic material in the international market between 1920 s and 1940 s,and has been exported overseas in large quantities by China.Sichuan Province is one of the main producing areas of tung oil during this period.The production and marketing of tung oil plays an important role in the economic development of Sichuan and even the whole country at that time.Sichuan Province has a large output of tung oil with good oil quality.The well-known "Xiuyou" is mainly produced in Xiushan and Youyang areas,which are areas where Tujia,Miao and Han ethnic groups live.The market network formed by tung oil trade makes the area an important part of the national market network,which also drives the economic and social development of the area to a certain extent.This paper is trying to restore the specific situation of tung oil trade in Youyang area during the period of the Republic of China through field investigation and literature review,and to discuss the commercial features of Youyang area.The first part introduces the natural geographical environment of Youyang area.Youyang is located in the mountainous area between Wushan to Dalou Mountain in Sichuan Basin.The terrain is mainly mountainous.The overall terrain is high in the middle and low in the east and west.The climate type is subtropical humid monsoon climate with obvious seasonal changes.It is warm and humid in spring and hot in summer.The temperature and precipitation are favorable.The soil types can meet the growth requirements of various plants.Although land transportation is limited by terrain and is not developed.Fortunately,the market in Youyang area can be connected to the outside by Wujiang River system and Youshui River system.The second part first analyzes the environmental requirements suitable for the growth of tung trees,and reveals the distribution of areas having tung trees production in Youyang area during the period of the Republic of China,among which there is less production in the middle and more production around,with the most production in the east of Youyang and followed by the west.The way of planting and annual output of tung trees in Youyang area have also been introduced.Then the steps and methods of tung oil processing in Youyang area are restored.From tung fruit to squeezed oil,seven steps are respectively described: picking tung fruit,peeling tung seeds,baking seeds,grinding seeds,steaming seeds,wrapping hoop to make tung cakes and squeezing oil.At last,the main routes of tung oil transportation by water and land are described in detail.The third part reveals the trading system of tung oil market in Youyang area during the period of the Republic of China.Its main participants consist of tung farmers,tung seed sellers,squeezing houses,should pole vendors,oil shops,oil procurement and oil sellers.The trading stages take place in the original production markets and the gathering markets.Then,it introduces in detail how the participants in each stage are linked to jointly complete the primary trade activities of tung oil in Youyang,including tung farmers,tung seed sellers,squeezing houses,should pole vendors,oil shops,oil customers,oil sellers,back carriers,bandits,commanders,their respective operation contents and their cooperation or conflicts in each stage.In the fourth part,according to G.William Skinner’s classification model for China’s rural market,the classification situation of Youyang market is obtained,with Longtan Town and Gongtan Town as the central markets and other production areas as the grass-roots markets.The market network structure of the whole county shows a network structure in which the grass-roots markets and the central markets are connected with each other within the county,and a radiation structure centered on the two central markets outside the county.Then,it restores the specific situation of the development of the county seat,Longtan Town and Gongtan Town during the period of the Republic of China,focusing on the commercial development of the two central markets.Finally,it is concluded that the development of the town has prompted the people in Youyang area to integrate into a larger market and extend their livelihood choices.Social groups interact and blend frequently.The division of labor and cooperation has enhanced,which accelerates social transformation.