A Study On The Agricultural New Deal In The Late Qing Dynasty

In Chinese agricultural history ,the period of the New Deal in the Late Qing dynasty was very important .During this period ,the Late Qing dynasty government formulated many new agricultural policies and measures .Most of the central government's policies and measures were put into effect actively by the lower levels. The obvious agricultural changes took place. It would promote Chinese traditional agriculture to become the modern one, and push forward the course of Chinese agricultural modernization. This was not only the needs of the reform for the traditional agriculture itself, but also the result about the important status of the agriculture recognized again and improved in practice by Chinese people in the new period.This dissertation's aim would make a monographic study on the agricultural New Deal in the late Qing dynasty comparatively. The introduction told briefly the significance of choosing subject , the academic history, train of thought and viewpoint in the main. The content of ten chapters are summarized as follows:Chapter1 observed the historical background of the agricultural New Deal, and revealed that the agriculture reformed because of an extensive and deep historical background .This was not a reform alone, but a part of the whole New Deal at that time, and it was related to the other New Deal. The reason was the agricultural straits, the economic impact of the West and promoting of public attaching importance to the agriculture.From Chapter 2 to Chapter 6 is a unit. This unit inspects briefly the agricultural organs. Each chapter is the agricultural administrative organs'creating and revolving ,the peasant associations'appearing and role ,the agricultural educational organs'establishing and educational state ,the agricultural experimental organs'opening and the experiments'beginning, the agricultural companies'emerging and the new character separately. Many central and local agricultural administrative organs played an important role on agricultural management and reform, and they became professional and functional organs in the management. The peasant associations were new social organizations that sought to study and reform the agriculture. These new organizations had many new characteristics, and most of them developed progressive agricultural activities and played an important role. The establishment of many agricultural educational organs made other countries'advanced science and technology, educational way and system enroll and laid a foundation for the educational development and enhance new scientific vigour for the traditional agriculture, but it didn't play proper role because of its limitations. The initiation and development of agricultural experimental organs marked that the modern agricultural experiment began to originate. It was the fist step in our Chinese agricultural experimental history ,the foundation of agricultural companies was new development of capitalism in the agriculture and reflected the extent of the capitalism's economy in the country . It had the significance on the shift from traditional agriculture to modern one.To develop the traditional agriculture was also important .Chapter7,8,9 are a unit, and it inspects what the traditional agriculture got new development and good achievements in this period because it had been promoted by the governments. Cotton production obtained development and the cotton skill was improved and American good cotton seeds were recommended, so the cotton'quality and output was improved. Because of the traditional Chinese tea's great changes from prosperity to decline , the reforming and rejuvenating of Chinese tea'happened , which consisted of establishing tea companies ,studying modern tea science and skill, making and planting tea in new way, and promoted traditional tea to become modernization. The government officials and local gentry advocated to develop silkworms, so silkworms and tussah were developed fast and the skill was made better. The forestation was emphasized by the officials and common people, and some people had recognized to protect zoological environments by planting trees widely. Most of the government officials and new organizations did their best to advocate plating trees, and the social members took part in it extensively, so great impetus and achievements were made.Chapter 10 summarized the result of the agricultural New Deal and analyzed the cause of limitation and pointed out the regional disparity of the New Deal result and change in different field. The dissertation thought the agricultural New Deal was a starting in Chinese agricultural modernization, and the government played an important role.