在商业与科学之间:金绍基的科学活动及其身份转型

Between Business and Science:Sohtsu King’s Scientific Activities and His Identity Transition

金绍基(1886-1949)是民国时期重要的商人、学者和科学赞助者。作为一名成功的商人,因受丁文江、翁文灏、葛利普等人影响,金绍基20世纪20年代开始从事贝类研究,是中国贝类学的开拓者。有感于其父母的向学之心和当时中国科学的落后,他凭借其经济力量资助了很多研究课题的开展,尤其是创立北京博物研究所(暨北京博物学会)、沁园燃料研究室,为当时的地质学、生物学研究和能源技术研发起到了很大的推动作用,堪称民国时期资助科学最力者之一。金绍基兄妹等人从其父辈的传统商业到跨界于商业与艺术、科学事业之间,反映了一个浔商家庭在晚清民国的社会变革中由商入学的转型。

Sohtsu King(Jin Shaoji,1886—1949)was an important businessman,scholar and scientific sponsor in Republican China.Inspired by V.K.Ting(Ding Wenjiang),Wong Wen-hao(Weng Wenhao)and Amadeus Grabau,Sohtsu King started to study shellfishes in the 1920 s,as one of the earliest Chinese researchers in malacology.Owing to his parents’emphasis on the importance of study and knowledge,and his impulse of resolving the backwardness of Chinese science,as a successful and rich businessman,he funded many scientific projects,including the establishment of Peking Laboratory of Natural History(and Peking Society of Natural History),and Sin Yuan Fuel Research Laboratory.These institutions played important roles in promoting the geology,biology and energy technology research at the time.King evidentially was one of the most powerful sponsors of science in the Republican period.Traditionally for King’s father’s generation,business was the sole focus of the family,while King and his siblings expanded their concerns to art or science.This reflected the changes and increasing concerns to art or science of merchants in Nanxun from late Qing to Republican China.