华人移民在美国加州的农业生产及其与当地环境的双向形塑(1860—1920)

Chinese Farming in California from 1860 to 1920 and Its Interaction with the Local Environment

作为加州一个重要的少数族裔,华人在加州早期开发中起到了不可小觑的作用。除了在采矿和铁路建造等行业,华人在农业生产方面也贡献突出,而以往研究并未对这一领域予以足够重视。华人的农业生产不但推动了加州农业经济的发展,还在一定程度上对加州的土地景观和社会生活产生了影响。华人移民的农业生产依赖于当地的自然和社会环境,同时也对当地自然和社会产生重要影响,与当地环境产生双向形塑。他们将中国传统的农业智慧、农业技术以及农作物带到美国,促进了两国在农业方面的交流。探索华人移民在加州的农业生产不但有助于我们全面了解华人经历及其在美国西部开发中所起到的作用,也能够为我们观察中美两种不同文化、不同经济体系的碰撞提供一个新的视角。早期在美华人的角色不仅是劳工和谋生者,也是中国农耕文化和传统的传播者和实践者,华人的农业生产是中美共有历史的一个重要方面,是中美关系史上一节重要的篇章。

As one of the most important ethnic groups in California, Chinese made great contributions to the early development of this state. Their agricultural production not only played a significant role in the development of California agriculture, but also led to the transformation of its natural landscape and social lives. The existing literature mostly focuses on the important role of white agriculturalists in changing the landscape and advancing agricultural development. This article, however, seeks to recover the stories that obscured by ethnocentrism and reveals the interaction between Chinese agricultural activities and the local environment of California. It explores the impact of Chinese farming on the landscape and social lives of California, and also discusses how the natural and social environments influenced Chinese agricultural activities. The agricultural landscape of California was multicultural in nature because of the ethnic participation in the region. Chinese immigrants brought traditional agricultural wisdom, techniques and crops to the United States and promoted the exchange of the two nations in agriculture. They were not only the labor workers, but also the propagators of agricultural knowledge and tradition of their nation.