| In the middle of 19th century,the Western Powers forced the Qing government to sign a series of unequal treaties,demanded political,economic and military privileges,therefore the Westerners could do business and carry out exploration all over China freely.A large number of businessmen from Europe and America poured into China for commercial purpose,meanwhile,botanists from Britain,France,Russia and America came to China for animal and plant resources investigation which established essential foundation for their later economic invasion to China.At the end of 19th century,America had more influence in international affairs with its economic strength and asked to have equal rights with Britain,France and other capitalist countries in China.America's investigation on China's animal and plant resources lagged behind the other Western Powers,they didn't believe foreign plant species would adapt to America's climates.As a result,only a few American research institutions took part in the investigation,they were Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University,National Geographic Society and Philadelphia Museum of Nature,etc.In order to solve the shortage of America's germplasm resource and find more crop resources to keep the rapid growth in agriculture,the federal government of America set up a new agency-the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction(SPI).SPI employed famous plant hunters and botanists,sent them to collect and introduce new foreign crop varieties of drought,cold and salt resistance.China's crop cultivation had thousands years of history and a wide variety of domesticated crops.In addition,America had more in common with China's natural ecological environment.As a result,China had become a target country for America to collect foreign crops.Scholars' study and research on the history of Westerners5 animal and plant collection activities in China have some achievements.Luo Guihuan,a scholar of the Institute of Natural Science History of CAS,wrote series of academic papers and works on it.Foreign scholar Randall E.Stross wrote a book to tell stories about the working experiences of American agriculture experts and missionaries in China in the early 20th century.He recorded great number of historical events and personalities of some main plant hunters.In his opinion,they came to China and helped to develop its agriculture and solve rural problems.But most scholars' academic research cut in from the views of animal or plant resources,there is no deep study and research achievements on America's crop collection in China so far.In order to fill in the academic gap,the dissertation focuses its study on America's crop collection activities in China and aim at to depict and restore a forgotten history,draw lessons in China's policy making,mode perfecting on agriculture development.The study also provides a foundation in theory when studying Chinese crops planting in America.The research employs literature study,data statistics and supplementary argumentation as its main study methods.The Westerner's Recognizing of Chinese Biology in Modern History(Luo Guihuan,2005),Frank N.Meyer-Plant Hunter in Asia(Isabel Shipley Cunningham,1984),Agriculture in the United States-A Documentary History(Wayne D.Rasmussen,1975)and 219 Bulletin of Foreign Plant Introduction,New Plant Immigrants(1908-1924)are important references to this research.Data statistics are used to present the crop collections from the following aspects:varieties,amount of samples,collecting time,places and SPI Numbers.Combining some American and Britain academic monographs by historical scholars and agricultural historians,the author employs supplementary argumentation method to verify the relevant historical facts of crop collection activities in China in the early 20th century and makes a thorough research from the perspectives of whom,how,what,the main characters of representative crops and their influence on American agriculture development.The research framework design of the dissertation:an Introduction and 6 chapters.The Introduction mainly introduces the research background,significance and current research situations on this subject,the study focus,major innovation and possible problems of this dissertation.The main body of the dissertation is developed into 3 main parts.Firstly,Chapter 1 introduces the historical background on America's crop collection activities in China and the main crop collectors.The U.S.government carried out crop collection on a global scale,but why did they carry out largest-scale collection activities in China?There were external and internal factors.The external factors:1)modem China's political system and social economic conditions,2)China's abundant crop resource,3)the impact of crop collection activities by European countries in China,etc.America's subjective motives:1)the urgent needs of the U.S.agricultural economy development,2)different geographical climate conditions for different crops,3)individual interests and hobbies of some European immigrants,4)the federal government's intervention policy in the agricultural development,etc.Botanists,plant hunters and missionaries were involved in the crop collection activities in China.The U.S.federal government and state governments played leading roles,the botanists and plant hunters specialized in the collection activities,American missionaries actively participated in it,American consular officers,businessmen,and Navy did their best to support the carrying-out of crop collection activities.Moreover,the students who ever studied in America also played an important role in it.Secondly,the core part of the dissertation is Chapter 2-5 which studies the crop collection activities by 3 main American plant hunters and the other collectors in the form of case study.Chapter 2 studies Frank N.Meyer and his collection activities in China from the following aspects:1)the introduction of Meyer's family,education,working experience before coming to China;2)the main routes of Meyer's 4 times crop collection activities in China and the representative crops collected,his trip to Xinjiang and Gansu are the study focuses;3)Meyer's personality and the value of crops collected by Meyer in China to American agriculture.Chapter 3 carries out a research on Ernest H.Wilson and his crop collection activities in China:1)introduction of his family,early working experience and his legend as a plant hunter;2)the study of his 4 times crop collection activities and representative crops,including Yunnan Dove Tree Trip(1899-1902),Chinese Meconopsis Trip(1903-1905),White Bark Pine Trip in the west of Hubei(1907-1909)and Regal Lily Trip in Hubei and Sichuan(1910);3)Wilson's personality and influence of his crop collection activities to American agriculture.Chapter 4 traced Joseph F.Rock and his crop collection activities:1)his family,life experience in his teenage and wandering life as a plant hunter;2)the routes and representative crops collected in his 3 collection activities,a trip to Yunnan Yulong Snow Mountain(1922-1924),Gansu and Qinghai Trip(1924-1927)and Sichuan and Yunnan Trip(1927-1929);3)his personality and scientific research.Chapter 5 studies the other crop collectors in China.Thirdly,Chapter 6 evaluates American crop collection activities and discusses its enlightenment to China's modem agriculture development.The study found that America's crop collection and introduction promptly promote its agriculture production,the grafting and propagation of immigrant fruit trees helped to control American fruit tree epidemic,America's agricultural germplasm resources has been enriched,and the agricultural science and technology was effectively promoted and made rapid progress.The study shows that China should learn America's "three-in-one" agriculture development mode,perfect the interaction mechanism between agricultural information and scientific research,strengthen the cultivation process management of main food crops,enhance the awareness of intellectual property protection of China's crop germplasm resources and make full use of crop characteristics to beautify the living environment.In the first half of 20th century,foreign crop collection and introduction became the most important means to keep rapid development in American agriculture and was the important factor to make the U.S.a super power in the world.China should learn from America in its foreign crops collection and introduction,try to promote China's crop planting technology,agriculture scientific research,disciplinary development of crop genetics and breeding and improve living environment by utilizing foreign plants and crop.On the premise of ensuring ecological safety,China can shorten the crop cultivation and improvement process;develop the crop breeding and planting technology by collecting and introducing value-added foreign crops.The dissertation applies the historical experience with the agriculture production,makes evaluation on the principle of "Drawing lessons from history and gearing to the needs of the future".In the age of economic globalization,China attaches great importance to food security strategy in which crop germplasm resources is the critical part. |
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