民国时期绅士的嬗变与农业科技改良的困境

Changes of Countryside Gentlemen and the Difficulties of Scientific Reform in Agriculture in the Period of the Republic of China

绅士是乡村的楷模和先进文化的先进受者。由于其拥有较强的号召力与巨大的影响力,具备变革意识和领导能力,因而是农业科技改良可能的示范者和理想的领导人,个别绅士也确实曾在肇始于晚清的农业科技改良中发挥过积极的作用。但总体而言,民国时期绅士的城居和劣化使农业科技改良缺乏必要的资金、人力资源和稳定的社会环境,不利于农业科技改良的推进,也使动员和组织实施改良的重任别无选择地落到了各级政府及其官员的身上。

Countryside gentlemen, as models and receivers of advanced culture in the countryside, were considered the potential demonstrators and leaders of the scientific reform in agriculture because of their relatively powerful appeals and influences as well as their innovation awareness and leadership ability. Some of them, in fact, had played a positive role in the scientific reform in agriculture that began in the late Qing Dynasty. But during the period of the Republic of China, generally speaking, many countryside gentlemen were in a rush to live in towns and cities and those who still lived in the villages turned to the worse. As a result, the scientific reform in agriculture lacked necessary funds, enough manpower and stable social surroundings and could not go well, which made the governments and officials at all levels have no choice but to take the resonsibility to mobilize, organize and implement the above-mentioned reform in agriculture.