| Drugs had a bad effect on Chinese society, there is no exception in northwestern inland province Gansu. They did worse harm to Gansu to the extent compared with other parts of China. Preceeding to the republic of China, and drugs became rampant. Political situation was in turmoil. Various regional powers rapidly rose, with expansions of territory and army. To raise military funds, warlords began to lift a ban on drugs, leving taxes so called punishment on opium crops. To pay off heavy taxes, the civilians in dilemma were forced to plant more poppy Due to poor transportation, bumper harvest and other commodity in good years were hard to be sent out, while the opium, in light quality and high price, with easily transporting condition, triggered the enthusiasm of planting poppy. Moreover, sideline in rural areas was deteriorating, farmers were lack the currency that could converted goods, which planting poppy could bring in. It gratified the purchasing demand. Wide opium planting resulted in taking and smuggling. In the period of the republic of China the number of drug addict in Gansu amounted to 200,000. accounting for 3% of the whole population. What were the reasons for it? Poverty and the lack of reasonable and positive entertainments, which caused the public regarded opium as the sole good medicine that could relieve worries and cure diseases and kill the time. Opium was planted in the fertile land, which caused the size of land and quantity of crops were shrinking. once disasters occurred, farmers would leave villages. The rural economy was badly damaged. Drugs poisoned the prime productivity, bringing disasters to addicts, their families and society. affecting society harmony a lot. Firms, camel transporting company, horse transporting company and army dominated the smuggling, they sold opium in the province or took the trans-province smuggle. Their manipulation of the industry made them a lot of profits .after all, the planting, taking and smuggling opium. hindered the operation of Gansu society even the Chinese society. Facing the social problems arising out of drugs, governments in different terms had different policies on banning drugs. Zhangguangjian, who was in power in Gansu, prohibited planting drugs, which took good effect. When Luhongtao administered Gansu province, Being in the trouble of military spending and financial issue, lifted the ban on opium. imposing the punishment on opium planting. when Fengyuxiang was in power in Gansu, To crown his career in the Middle China. he banned opium namely, on the contrary he supported it. which led to the rampant condition of planting opium. At the very beginning of the establishment of the Nan king nationalist government, drug ban was was paid great attention. Nanking government claimed it would eradicate drug without mercy. Which sounded insistent nevertheless declined its promise. Gansu in name only was under rule of central government, some regional powers depending on their forces contended with provincial government, whose execution of the schemes was limited, thus drug ban took little effect. From 1935 to 1940 the nationalist government executes a plan entitled drug prohibition in 2 years and opium prohibition in 6 years, which signified the most massive anti-opium movement in the reign of the nationalist government. It was carried out well owing to stable political and economic situation. It took good effect covering drug prohibition which was considered as the biggest achievement, by 1940 seeds cereal crops had been planted everywhere except areas inhabited by ethnic groups and remote ponds where opium sprouts were discovered. However, it is a fact that taking and smuggling were still very serious.In 1940s opium prohibition was listed one of important governmental executions. Efforts were intensified to combat drugs, the opium planting was limited in a very small strip of land, with the shrinking planting, taking and smuggling involved had been phased out, from in public to underground. by 1949, the nationalist government was shaky at that moment, losing control of local authorities, poppy sprouts were planted in some main opium producing counties secretly. at that moment the opium plant was rejuvenating, but the Kuomingtang government a lame duck, it left the issue to the successor.Drugs wasn't eradicated in the nationalist administration.Reasons followed, firstly opium was the staple financial revenue of Ganshu province. With poor scale of modern industry, business, and transportation. Prevailed little in the financial pattern, The main financial revenues came from the traditional agricultural products, which would provided limited wealth before the breakthrough of agriculture techniques And without thorough management of land, taxes on land were insufficient. Thus, it was unlikely to conduct governmental agencies by land taxes especially large military spending. in this situation, planting and smuggling opium became another revenue source. Next, due to the status of the financial pillar of opium, Government imposed prohibition policies such as "phasing out eradication" "granting licenses" were based on the aim of "emphasizing prohibition and tax-levying simultaneously ", it pursued economic profits, trying to acquiring highest profits. That is to say government needed profits as well as drug prohibition. These contradictory practices were the main reasons for the inefficiency of drug prohibition. Last, opium was so profitable that all social groups (army, bandits and local evil gentry) treated it as a means of acquiring wealth, instigation and incitement of planting and smuggling opium were elicited by them but Large spending, local authorities strived to acquire interest distribution through opium. With poor funds and Lack of power, the provincial government was by no means likely to ban the practice, which elicited the social situation was out of control. Finally, from the point of view of national unification, terms of government in the Period of The republic of China were challenged by various powers. for example, The Nanking Kuomingtang administration .on one hand faced the arrogant local powers who declined to confess the legality of central government;on the other hand the Japanese invasion made it fail to try its best to execute the opium ban.Which took limited effects After the people's republic of China was founded. It was not only an expectation among the public whether the opium could root out but a test to the new government. New china thoroughly dropped the dangerous track that KMT used to have. acquiring nothing from opium industry. At that moment, Land reform, lessening taxes, three counters and five counters were carried out, farmers liberated themselves economically and politically, realizing the conception of "persons who cultivate own their land". after the shake-up, those who turn officeholders, motivated to execute the new measures, which raised the social mobility ability and the public supported the new measures overwhelmingly. positive interaction was established between government and the public. Which sped up banning opium. in just several years, opium which lasted 100 years was rooted out.Dating back from the fact the opium was out of control and the processing of banning the opium, we know that it was impossible to eradicate opium in the turmoil of Gansu, under the macro-landscape of national weakness and national exploitation. Only with development of all fields, comprehensively intensifying national power politically, economically, culturally can opium be rooted out and can the harmonious society be constructed.
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