The Institutionalization Of Modern Chemistry In China, 1927-1937

Chinese modern chemistry was not the result of the evolution of Chinese ancientchemistry, but was imported from west world, which rooted in uniform world sciencecivilization. Before introduced to China, modern chemistry had completed itsinstitutionalization and had become a mature subject. Chinese literati had acquaintedthemselves with modern chemistry from the late phase of 19 century, but theinstitutionalization of modern chemistry in China was still at very low level beforeNanking Nationalist Government came into existence in 1927. In the field of highereducation, China had set up some departments for chemical education, but because ofthe unsteadypolitical situation, difficult economy and the like, Chinese own chemicaldepartments in university were still at subordinate status. They could not competewith the same of mission universities or private universities which possessedcomparatively steady and ample outlay. With regard to chemical research, exceptsome mission universities and private universities which had done some researches,almost all Chinese own universities did not do any researches. As for specialprofessionalized chemical research institutes, there were only two institutes, PekingUnionMedicalCollege(PUMC)andGoldenSeaResearchInstitution.Inaddition,thechemical community that was the important symbol of the institutionalization ofchemistry did not form. Except the Chinese Society of Chemical Industry and theChinese Society of Chemical Engineering which belonged to applying chemistry,there was not a uniform chemical organization for whole country. However, afterNanking Nationalist Government set up in 1927, modern chemistry began toinstitutionalizerapidlyalongwithgovernment'spayingattentiontoandgivingalotofmoney to science career. Before Anti-Japanese War broke out in 1937, theinstitutionalization of modern chemistry in China had made great progress. In all, theten years from 1927 to 1937 which was called Nanking Decade was the importantdecade for the institutionalization of modern chemistryin China. The development ofChinese modern chemistry in this decade established base for its subsequentdevelopment. It is an important problem of the history for Chinese modern chemistry...