Long-march Of Tobacco History And Culture Of The Tobacco Industry In Yongding

Since its introduction into Yongding three hundred years ago, tobacco has been planted and cultivated as a major economic crop in the local area, making Yongding a flagship leading the tobacco industry in Fujian province and even that of the entire country. The paper is an attempt to explore the tobacco cultivation culture and other derivative cultural phenomena intrinsically associated with tobacco in Yongding.The paper begins with an historic review of the introduction, development,, flourish and decline of tobacco plantation and cultivation in Yongding. Adopting a historic and Anthropological perspective, Chapter two elucidates the essential driving causes and specific cultural events testifying to Yongding's booming tobacco industry by deconstructing the entire tobacco cultivation history into minor cultural episodes. Based on vigorous field work and conscientious library work in search of relevant research findings and literatures, chapter three attempts to explore and restore the full glory of the long past tobacco cultivation culture in Yongding. Within the framework of a chronical survey of the tobacco planting history in Yongding, Chapter Four focuses on a special group of historical figures—tobacco barons in Yongding, including a study of their organization forms and their characteristic behaviors under the influence of traditional social and cultural norms. Chapter five investigates the internal relationship between tobacco barons and the earth buildings in the local area, which is another important historic legacy in Yongding. Chapter six analyzes the trend of population migration as a result of increased exchanges with the outside boosted by tobacco business. Chapter seven reveals the far-reaching influence of tobacco industry on the all-around progress of folk culture and educational development in Yongding.Based on this strong resonance and deeply-entrenched interplay between tobacco cultivation culture and the local history of Yongding, the author comes to the conclusion that the unique geographic location and chance events in history jointly set a stage for tobacco barons in Yongding, who brought about fundamental changes and revolutions to the local social structure, and consequently played a significant role in shaping unique cultural features and social norms of Yongding.