Agricultural Science And Technology In Shanxi Province In The Republic Of China

China is a large traditional agricultural country with a long history. At past and present or future, our government has put agriculture in the most basic and important. Shanxi is one of the best develop of the agricultural economy among all provinces in ancient China. Shanxi, one of the Cradles of the Chinese nation, has played leading roles in propelling the development of China's history. By identifying the historical development of science and technology in Shanxi and its relationship with Shanxi's social history, science and technology have played a supporting and role in propelling the historical development of Shanxi and even china. During Republic of china, its agricultural science and technology took on new changes, had many new characters. Science and technology had played an important role in the agricultural production.Shanxi is on the eastern border of that area commonly spoken of as Northwest China, important in Chinese history as one of the first areas to be occupied by the forebears of the present Chinese people. Shanxi is often considered a key to the military control of north China. The land surface of this region is about two thirds made up of treeless rock-surfaced mountains, bare of tillable soil except for patches along the sides and in the bottoms of wider valleys. The remaining one third consists of level alluvial plains and of low lying loess and red soil hills. It is estimated that between 20 and 25 per cent, of the total area is tillable. Plains, although occupying only about 10 or 15 per cent, are agriculturally the important topographic type. They are intensively cultivated and densely populated, supporting about 40 per cent of the population of the province. Lying between the sub-humid provinces to the east and the more nearly arid ones to the west, Shanxi represents, better than any other province, the large areas of China's north and northwest which may be designated as semi-arid. Annual precipitation, in regions representing average conditions, is about 16 inches. Fortunately for crop growth, between 80 and 90 per cent falls during the six months of the growing season. Moreover, wide differences in both temperature and precipitation occur in different parts of the province. Parts of Shanxi are too cold for the production of winter wheat; in other parts cotton is admirably adapted. The Taiyuan plain receives an average rainfall of about 16 inches, but in the southeast corner of the province between 18 and 21 inches falls. In the north, and probably in the west as well, the average precipitation is only 13 or 14 inches. Vegetation is of little importance as a factor in the development of most soils in Shanxi, because it has not been allowed to remain on the soil and accumulate in the form of organic matter. For centuries weeds have been kept down on tilled soils, and crop remains have been gathered for fuel or eaten by sheep and goats. The farmers of Shanxi engage in animal husbandry and in the production of fruits, vegetables, and field crops. Chickens, hogs, sheep, and goats are widely raised, a small number to a household, living mainly on waste products and what they are able to pick up in and about the villages. Fruits and vegetables are also widely raised, in a few places as specialized business but almost universally on a small scale for local consumption. The fruits include grapes, apples, pears, peaches, jujubes, persimmons, and apricots; the most common vegetables, Chinese cabbage, carrots, spinach, leeks, squash, cabbage, and eggplant. The main business of the Shanxi farmer, however, is the production of field crops. In the north and in the elevated regions of central Shanxi oats, Irish potatoes, soybeans, and millet are most commonly grown; in the extreme southwest, winter wheat, cotton, and maize; in the rest of the province, winter wheat, millet, grain sorghum, soybeans, and maize. Millet, furnishing both grain and fodder, is the most important crop. Extremely resistant to drought and, through its many varieties, apparently adaptable to all soils and temperatures, it is an admirable staple for this region.There are many good natural factors in Shanxi, for example land, weather and water. So Shanxi agriculture could make development in Republic of china, science and technology have also made progress because of cumulating in labor's production, developing capitalistic economy and founding higher agricultural education. Science and technology of Shanxi agriculture had developed rapidly because of the natural factors and social factors. Since, under the influence of scientific investigation and social and economic change, the old systems and methods of farming may soon be radically altered. Great changes have taken place in modern Shanxi traditional agriculture with the learning the West being spread to the East. The harmony of China and the West is the mainstream in the evolution of modern Chinese traditional agriculture. Chinese traditional agriculture absorbs the advantages of modern Western agriculture, and it keeps its own fine tradition. That is, an organic whole is formed on the basis of the harmony. In Republic of china, Shanxi local government played a chain of reforms of agriculture science and technology, introduced lots of foreign agriculture science and technology, spreaded and transited a large amount of foreign agriculture science and technology into rural areas.Shanxi's agricultural education in the 20th century has experienced significant improvement and development. The number of agricultural schools was established in Shanxi during republic of China. The size of their enrollment and the size of students on campus had a large of transformation. The agricultural education scale for the whole times enlarged rapidly with the development of agricultural education and government politics, social economy, rules of education development, etc.Kong Xiang-xi, bora in Taigu, Shanxi, is an important figure in modern Chinese history. When he was young, he studied in USA, and after coming back home, he made some achievements in education and managing politician. Once he became a political man, he had done some good in the areas of rural reform, rural education and rural development. In 1907 Dr. H. H. Kung had completed his courses in Oberlin and Yale, receiving the degrees of B. A. and M. S. During his stay in Oberlin, the faculty and students of the college became interested in making a living memorial to their alumni, who had met death in Shanxi during the year 1900. Dr. Kung's purpose when he returned to China was developed an educational institution in his native city. Oberlin approved his plan and choose this school as their memorial. Thus the "Oberlin-Shanxi Memorial School" came into being, it was Shanxi Ming Hsien School subsequent. Dr. Kung has carried on this school in spite of all obstacles and difficulties. There had been in Taigu, previous to Dr. Kung's arrival, a small mission primary school for boys. This took over, and his care, it grew until it is a high school of high repute. Afterward, Shanxi Ming Hsien School became the technological academy of agriculture and industry, and turned into Shanxi Ming Hsien college at last, and changed its name as Shanxi Agricultural college in 1950.during this period of time, the teaching model was founded on the basis of one system, two circulations and three combination with its principle of teaching for the sake of developing oneself by laying emphasis on originality, and the supervising system was perfected by separating teaching from administering. Shanxi Ming Hsien School became very famous at than time. So it still has some significance to look back on its history and to draw on experiences of its running a school. After the anti-Japanese war that broke out in 1937, the school was forced to move westward, and was reorganized as Ming Hsien Agricultural and Engineering college (3-year) with two departments and a total of six disciplines in Jintang county, Sichuan province in 1940. lin 1943, the college was extended to a four-year college, Ming Hsien College, and the former disciplines were changed to departments correspondingly. Together with the newly formed departments, the college consisted of 8 departments: agronomy, animal husbandry, agri-economy, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, textile engineering, industrial business and banking. In October, 1950, Ming Hsien College and Ming Hsien middle school came back to the original location of Ming Hsien School, Taigu, Shanxi province. In 1951, Ming Hsien College was taken over by Shanxi provincial government. In October 1, the name of the college was changed to Shanxi Agricultural College (SAC). It remained the departments of agronomy and animal husbandry. From 1951 to 1957, SAC was jointly led by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higer Education, and lately, by the Ministry of Agriculture with Shanxi provincial government. It loaded with heavy task to foster experts in agricultural science and technology for the country.Faced with the serious of politics and economy, the government was forced to carry out agricultural reforms at the turn of the 20th century, which had expedited the emergence of modern agriculture in Shanxi: setting up national agricultural management agencies, sending students abroad for agricultural studies, establishing agricultural schools, associations, experimental farms, improvement cotton, silk and tea businesses. The vitalization thoughts are centered on the consolidation of agricultural foundation status, the introduction and extension of western agricultural science and management approaches and Shanxi's agriculture' keeping pace with the modern times. During the period of modern Shanxi agricultural development, there were many new characteristics in itself, such as various agriculture economy and reasonable system of farming. Particularly, many policies stimulated the development of scientific technology in agriculture: the local government of provinces of Shanxi paid attention to carry out new techniques, and the government of provinces of Shanxi carried out new practices of improve and introduce variety breeding. Many agricultural technologies were introduced and spreaded. On the one hand, they inherited and absorbed the advantage of traditional agriculture. On the other hand, government carried out importance and improvement policy, and made a great progress in scientific technology of agriculture. It plays an important affects of these technologies on Shanxi agriculture in Modern Time as well as the development of contemporary Shanxi agriculture.During the Republic of china era, the cotton improvement in northern china developed speedily. Shanxi province was an important cotton section in northern China, it has a long history. Since the Republic of China era, Shanxi province made the early start of cotton improvement .The release of various local rules and regulations, the training programs, the establishment of experimental farms for cotton improvement. In 1917, a provincial model cotton farm was established in Shanxi. Consequently noticeable achievements had been made in cotton improvement in Shanxi.In the Republic of China era, Shanxi province made the early start of sheep breed improvement. In 1917, during the Republic of china era (1912-1949), the "Liuzhen" Inspection department was established in the administrative office in Shanxi province, which was devoted to the improvement cause of agriculture science and technique. In the Republic of China era, sheep breeding had been rather widespread in Shanxi, so it helped make the early start of sheep breed improvement in Shanxi. It was launched provincially including: the release of various local rules and regulations, the training programs, the establishment of experimental farms for breed improvement. In 1917, a provincial model livestock farm was established in Shanxi, where the sheep breed of Merino from Australia. The investigation of the technique of controlling sheep-breeding time was carried through in Shanxi model livestock farm. Shanxi province is cold and windy in the winter. According to the natural growth cycle of sheep (including jumbuck and goat), its oestrum is in autumn and thus lambing is around spring festival time, when it is bitterly cold in the northern prairie, so the lamb is liable to die from coldness. In order to avert lambing in cold winter, Shanxi model livestock farm invented a method, the pregnancy time of a female sheep was postponed. As a result, the birth time of the lamb was in spring time, so the survival rate of the lamb was guaranteed. "Rambouillet" sheep introduced by Shanxi Ming Hsien School was reproduced and improved, and then introduced across the province. Consequently noticeable achievements had been made in sheep breed improvement in Shanxi. It became the great initiative nationwide in livestock farming.Shanxi Ming Hsien School was established by Dr. H. H. Kung under the financial support from Oberlin College of the United States in 1907. An agronomy discipline was initiated in 1928, followed by an engineering in 1931. During that period , the school introduced and developed many Chinese farmers loving products , such as "Golden Queen" maize , "169" wheat variety, apples and other fruits and vegetables , "Leghorn" chicken , "Rambouillet" sheep , "ice and Iron" plough, grass mowers, pesticide sprayers as well as grain threshers . The school became one of the early agricultural research centers. It exerts profound influence in Shanxi and our country improving the agricultural sciences and techniques. Because of incessant war and the grain shortage in China, developing maize production had been given much attentions, foreign maize variety was introduced from 1900 to 1949. The improvement of maize variety was extensively carried out in the Republic of China. The returned scholars from U.S.A. had played a major in the modern maize improvement. Especically, that "Golden Queen" maize was introduced by Shanxi Ming Hsien School played an important affects. It was that the variety improving of corn in China has its beginning in the early part of the 20th century. The modern new method of cross-breeding laid the foundation of the corn variety-improving course. It has made considerable success since the 1980s, the spreading of crossbreed has become one of the important measures to expand the corn-growing areas and increase the output. The work of the corn crossbreed selection in China ranks first in the word. Aided by scientific methods, its investigation works developed new agricultural materials in Shanxi Ming Hsien School agronomy discipline. Improved wheat strains were being developed with methods worked out at Cornell University. Careful tests indicate that, resulting from these effort, farmers would soon be provided with a new variety which produced more between 20 and 30 per cent than old varieties when grown under the same conditions. The fat-tailed native sheep convert waste crop remains into salable wool and mutton. "Rambouillet" rams had been imported from Montanna to improve native sheep by Shanxi Ming Hsien School agronomy discipline. Preliminary experiments showed that crossbred sheep, obtained by crossing this ram with native ewes, produced wool which was worth fuour times as much per animal as that from present breeds.With the development of agricultural science and technology in Public of China, Shanxi agriculture had profound significance. This kind of situation not only promoted the degree of productive forces and enhanced the growth of grain, but also developed the Shanxi agriculture economy, improved rural life quality and improved greatly labor productivity of agriculture. The soil ecology and the intensive cultivation was combined, from then on, the soil construction became better and better on the speeding of the traditional intensive agriculture technology. The agricultural science and technology brought higher production and higher advance in Shanxi traditional agriculture, labor productivity of agriculture greatly improved, development of science and technology had important touch with the whole economy and society. The transition of agriculture structure not only changed agricultural cropping structure and the trade of commodity circulation, but also influenced local society and economy. It plays an important affects of these technologies on Shanxi agriculture in modern time as well as the development of contemporary Shanxi agriculture.