| There was a long history of sericulture and it was the most important sideline production occupies in China. It plaied an important role in the economy of over two thousand years of farming men and women weave feudal natural economy. Even in modern times, sericulture also had a major impact on the economy of the Taihu Area. Moreover, silk wais one of the major contributions of Chinese people for the world. China was the origin of sericulture in the world. At the beginning, sericulture production in China were mainly concentrated in the Yellow River, but after the Shi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, the center of the Chinese sericulture production gradually transferred from the Central Plains region of the northern Yellow River to Taihu Area in the south of the Yangtze River. The climate in Taihu Area was warm and moist with abundant water resources, which was suiTable for the growth of crops. Moreover, the improved local water conservancy facilities fulfill the demand of water demand for a large mulberry tree to create good growing conditions. After the Song Dynasty, the Taihu Area developed into the center of sericulture in China. Due to the little war destruction in the Taihu Lake region the development of sericulture sustains in the Yuan Dynasty. From the Ming Dynasty to the modern times when Japan large-scale invasion of China in1937, in Taihu Area, particularly Huzhou Fu vicinity the sericulture production technology represented the highest level in China, even represented the highest level in the world for quite a long time before the mid-Qing. There was a close relationship between the development of sericulture technology and the economic, cultural prosperity in the Taihu Lake region. On the one hand, the development of sericulture technology contributed to the economic and cultural prosperity of the advances in manufacturing technology of sericulture in Taihu Area of the Ming Dynasty to modern times since1937. On the other hand, the superior natural environment of the Taihu Area and developed social and human economic conditions led to the development of sericulture technology.Sericulture technology had been progressively improved in Taihu Area since from the Tang Dynasty and reached to the pinnacle of traditional sericulture technology in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, while the development gradually slowed down in the mid-Qing. Due to the development of modern western science, modern sericulture technology in Western countries gradually catches up, especially Japan, the China neighbor, completely has replaced China as the leading position of sericulture industry in the world since1930s. It is the period between the Ming Dynasty to modern times (1937) that both development in the traditional sericulture production in the former accumulated experience and the collision of traditional and modern sericulture technology and integration. In this paper, we summarize and review the sericulture technology in this certain period to reveal the regular pattern of sericulture technology development.The paper is divided into six chapters covering four parts.Firstly, we introduce an overview of sericulture production from the Ming Dynasty to modern1937in Taihu Area. From the Ming Dynasty to the1920s, the sericulture was continuously booming in Taihu Area, and sericulture area progressively expanded. After1930s it started to decline. One part related to local agricultural production profile paves the way for sericulture production.Secondly, we exhibit the improvement in manufacturing technology of sericulture, such as the growth of mulberry, the sericulture technique and the silk production technology, from the Ming Dynasty(1368) to1937in Taihu Area. Because every certain thing in the history cannot be viewed as a fragmented individual, it is a continuous process for the sericulture production technology from ancient to modern, from the traditional to the scientific process. For up to six hundred years, the external environment of sericulture production in the Taihu Lake region has undergone tremendous changes. Along with these tremendous changes, how did sericulture in Taihu Area develop? From the continuous process we find and summarize the law of sericulture development in this article. The law provides positive reference the development of modern sericulture technology as well as agricultural techniques.In the third part, we have discussed the impact of the development of sericulture technology for the economy in Taihu Area. The development not only contributed to the emergence of specialized production in sericulture, but also led to the rise of related sericulture industries, such as the leaf market, seed market, wire market, and seeding market. This not only promoted the seeds of capitalism in the silk industry, but also promoted the economic prosperity in the local agricultural market. Therefore, there were many new towns formed in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The hand-reeling technology development was the technical foundation of the modern silk reeling industry in Taihu Area.From the economic research about Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou region in the Ming and Qing Dynasty by Jiang zhaocheng, we can attribute the Hanzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou region’s economy as sericulture economy. In fact, the whole Taihu Lake area economy was like this, especially in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain.In the fourth part we has analyzed origin of the progress of sericulture production technology in Taihu Lake region from the Ming Dynasty to1937.There were unique natural conditions and social factors leading to continuous development of sericulture technology in Taihu Area. Most of the soil had been transformed into fertile paddy soil by residents of the region long-term labor. In the Taihu Lake region, there were plenty rivers and rich water resources. The cooperation of rainwater, the light and heat was very suiTable for crop growth. The mulberry was a kind of corps which needs plenty of water for growth, especially in the summer when the leaves grow rapidly. The natural climate and environment in Taihu Area provide good conditions for the growth of mulberry trees. Commodity economy was a major force to drive the development of sericulture technology. Because of the high profit in sericulture local people plant mulberry and sericulture. In addition, the growing demand in domestic and international market for fine raw silk and silk production further promote local sericulture production and technological progress in the Taihu Lake region. Taihu Area had long been as the key areas about the Chinese-made silk and levy taxes. The policies from the central government have stimulated the local sericulture development. Taihu Area has been the sericulture center in China since from the Tang Dynasty. In this long period of time the local people formed the traditions and customs of sericulture, which was very conducive to the promotion and application of advanced sericulture. Moreover, the internal driving force of agricultural technology itself was another reason of technological progress.Finally, the summary of full-text provides the reference for the development of modern sericulture technology or even agricultural technology in Taihu Area. The most important was the role in promoting economic development, Taihu Area smallholder economy developed for the commodity economy budding is prepared, but also for its emergence of modern national capitalism made bedding, all of which promote the local sericulture production of technical progress. The scientific research about the agricultural techniques was the key to its continuous development. Of course, the ultimate goal of the sericulture development was to improve the quantity and quality of sericulture production, to establish the commodity economy and circulation system, to promote, and to strengthen the promotion and application of technologies for agricultural production. Cultural traditions and the national politics influence on the development of production technology. The cultural traditions are the intrinsic impact and the strong regime is external support. |
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