A Study Of The Relationship Of Renting Land To Tenants In Hubei, In The Republican Period (1927-1937)

China founds a state always with agriculture. From the perspective of agricultural economy, its core problem was land problem and the centre of land problem was the system of renting land to tenants, but the relationship of renting land to tenants was an important parameter judging the system of renting land to tenants. From the perspective of agricultural society, its core problem was peasant problem and the core of peasant problem was indeed the relationship of renting land to tenants before the modem times. Therefore, by the examination of the relationship of renting land to tenants in the Republican Period, we can not only know the evolution of the system of renting land to tenants and its appearing characteristics in the modern times but also know the reasons why a series of social problems occured and their essence, as well as understand every aspect of rural society to some extent. Therefore, the relationship of renting land to tenants is a key to understanding the rural area in the Republican Period.Hu Bei is located in the middle of China, having habits of both South and North. Its relationship of renting land to tenants had both universality and particularity. The author has made a first-step examination and found that during the Republican Period especially the period of Nanjing National Government, the number of Hubei tenant peasants increased, the relationship of renting out land to tenants was comparatively developed, and had the trend to extend during the period of Anti-Japan War. As far as improving the relationship of renting land to tenants is concerned, making a general observation of the whole nation, we can find out that only Hubei province carried out "Two Five Reducing Rent" three times. We do not look at its effect for the time being, only from its attitude, we have to take it seriously. Therefore, it is representative to choose Hu Bei to study its relationship of renting out land to tenants.In resent years, three agricultural problems of "Rural area is really poor, the peasants are really bitter, agriculture is really dangerous" have come to the top, as well as the strategy of "Central area rises abruptly" has been published. Under such circumstances the study of the relationship of renting land to tenants in Hubei, in the Republican Period has a very strong practical significance beyond any doubt.Making a comprehensive survey of academic history, we can find out that there are numbers of studies that directly choose the relationship of renting out land to tenants as an object, but there are few case studies choosing Hubei as an object. Therefore, the author has made an attempt in this field. If through my effort, the vacant position can be filled in this field, and my study can provide a few lessons to pertinent researchers, which is what I expect to be, I will be greatly honoured.The thesis consists of six parts. The first part is an introduction as well as a recollection of academic history on this selected topic.The second part is the first chapter. It is about the position of the management of renting land to tenants in Hu Bei's agriculture. The author gets down to this part from three aspects such as the proportion of rented plowland in agricultural land, the proportion of tenant peasants in peasant household of all kinds and the problem of effiency in the management of renting out land to tenants. The author makes them as three evaluative indexes, thereby draws out a conculsion that management of renting land to tenants occupy a very important position in Hubei agriculture, and it is an effective way to manage agricultural land. Besides, the author analyzes the characteristics of the management of renting land to tenants in Hu Bei, and finds out that its remarkable characteristics are as follows: land-use right was unequally assigned, managing area was small and land decentralized, and management was backward. To analyze the position of the management of renting land to tenants in the agriculture of Hu Bei is to explain the operating situation of the system of renting land to tenants in Hu Bei, to help us have a better understanding of rent contract, rents and tenants in Hu Bei, and thus has provided background and bedding effect on helping us grasp various and complicated relationships of renting out land to tenants both inside and outside stipulation more exquisitely.The third part is the second chapter. It is about the establishment of the relationship of renting land to tenants. The lease is the important sign that the relationship of renting land to tenants were established. Demonstration and analysis of a few lease forms are a high light of this part. Through the demonstration of these leases, we not only know the Hu Bei's lease kinds, names and contents more intuitively, but also more deeply feel the relationship of renting out land to tenants that was embodied in them.The fourth part is the third chapter. In this chapter, the author makes a concentrative discussion on the core content of the relationship of renting out land to tenants—rents. Through huge numbers of materials, the author draws out the following conclusions: Forms of lease in Hu Bei were various and backward; the altitude of renting amount and renting rates is not higher than the nationwide average level. The author writes a lot about the process of proving these conclusions. The conclusions are an amendment to the inference that common phenomenon in old China rural area was heavy lease amount, high rent rates. They are also the second creative point in this thesis.The fifth part is the fourth chapter. The author makes a concentrative investigation of the universal situation of tenants. In this chapter, tenants "walked onto the stage", showed us every aspect of their lives from economic situation to social status, from material life to spiritual life. In this play, without any doubt, tenants were the main characters, but they did not monologize. With the "cooperation" of roles of other kinds of peasant households, by two lines light and dark, the universal situation and relationship between land owners and tenants are demonstrated.Through the study of the relationship of renting land to tenants in Hu Bei from 1927 to 1937, the author has benefited a lot and also got great enlightenment. Huge numbers of historical facts prove that the management of renting land to tenants was efficient, and it made a remarkable contribution to the development of agricultural economy in Hu Bei. At that time the austere contradiction between person and field, separation of occupation of agricultural land from use of the land and so on made the system of renting out land to tenants become the target that people criticized. The relationship of renting out land to tenants has certain irrationality. However, we can not "throw the baby away with the bathwater", in fact, the system and relationship of renting out land to tenants have different natures and contents in different social natures. The fundamental difference about land in social nature is the difference of land ownership, therefore the nature of the relationship of renting out land to tenants depends on the land ownership ultimately. The relationship of renting out land to tenants under landlord landownership is feudalistic. The relationship of renting out land to peasants under socialist market economy is a new form of economic relationship. Therefore, what we have to do at present is how to avoid the disadvantages of the system of renting land to tenants in the Republican Period, how to make the system co-adapted with our present developing strategy, and to enable it to promote the modernizing development of agriculture in the new system in Hu Bei as well as the whole country.