"From Prosperity To Declining": Gradual Progress Course Of The Silk Industry Of Sichuan In The Time Of The Republic Of China

Sichuan has the praise of "silkworm's clump ancient country ", and it is one of the origins of the Chinese silk industry. Planting mulberry and breeding silkworms; reeling silk and knitting the silk fabric has always been the household sideline of the common people in Sichuan, and it also was a major issue of the livelihood; Silk products went through important components of levying towards successive dynasties too, the silkworm and mulberry and silk has already been an indispensable important content of social economic life.After Chongqing opened the port, "modern agitation " poured into Sichuan Basin along the course of the Changjiang River. At the beginning of the 20th century, the silk industry of Sichuan began to transform from traditional handicraft industry workshop to the industry of the modern machine, Sichuan set up the new-type silk reeling factory of capitalist modern enterprises successively in all parts of the province. By 1930, there were 82 factories of silk reeling in the whole province, there were 5996 cars of silk reeling made of iron, 7960 cars of wooden silk reeling, 19 reeling mills among them had equipped the modern machine. This periods, the centre areas of silk like Nanchong, Leshan, Tongchuan and so forth were flourishing in both production and marketing, the silk industry of Sichuan is in fashion for a time. "There was not one place which didn't has raw silk and silkfabric in Sichuan." Sichuan" produced 35000 dan silks every year and it was the third in the whole country ", raw silk output was "always ranks first " among Sichuan foreign trade.But the good time didn't last long. After 1931, for having difficulties at home and abroad, silk industry of Sichuan fell to it's lowest place, even it appeared" cocoon is cheaper than pease or one Hang raw silk only costs one Hang bean sprouts " phenomenon. In order to renew the silk industry, the local authority of Sichuan and silk industry established Sichuan raw silk committee ; set up the dahua raw silk trading company jointly; set up the field to improve silk; set up the Limited Company of silk industry of Sichuan, the silk production went up to some extent.The war of resistance broke out, the national government moved to the interior in Chongqing, the silk become the important goods that the government exchanged for the foreign exchange, at the same time the silk was praised as "smokeless munition". The national government planned in many ways and raised actively to increase raw silk production and expand the market, but produced little effect. After the war of resistance, the American silk fabrics poured into China in a large amount, the silk production of Sichuan was assaulted seriously. In the international market, U.S.A. strongly supported Japanese raw silk, Chinese silk was pushed aside of American market basically. Kuomintang and the Communist Party's civil war arisesed again at this moment, all trades in China were desolate , the market was depressed, the currency expanded extremly, the price rose at a high speed, silk reeling producers closed business and went bankrupt one after another , the trust of the silk industry of Sichuan —The Limited Company of silk industry of Sichuan was closed to paralysis. The silk industry of Sichuan of the Republic of China had gone to the end.