全面抗战时期四川蚕丝业治理研究

Study on the governance of Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression

20世纪30年代前中期四川蚕丝业几乎陷入绝境。全面抗战爆发后,随着中国蚕丝业活动中心从东南转移到西南,国内对于生丝的需求骤然增加,四川蚕丝在全国出口贸易中的地位日趋重要,地方、中央政府相继出手治理四川蚕丝业,设置治理机构,构建管理制度,改进生产技术等。其治理固然对四川蚕丝业的复兴起了一定的作用,然而国民政府战时生丝统制经济政策运用失当、蚕业生产技术进步迟缓、业内核心人才短缺、整体治理理念缺乏,使得四川蚕丝业的治理终未起到预期效果,导致抗战后期四川蚕丝业缺乏后劲,不进反退。

When it comes to the study on Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry in the modern era,fruitful achievements are available for reference.Most of them,however,are focused on the status quo of the industry and lack a systematic analysis of the problems facing its development,let alone the conflicts between the government and the farmers and the businessmen in the industry.In this connection,based on the abundant literature housed in archives centers in Sichuan,Chongqing and other places and using a combination of comparative research,holistic research,and case study methods,the paper builds a picture of the development of Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry before the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,gives an account of the measures introduced in wartime for industry governance as well as their results and problems,and thus takes stock of the influence that the industry had on the history.Research shows that the governance of Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry in wartime was driven by both internal and external forces.Before the 1930s,Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry was in its heyday;but it started to go downhill and was on the verge of collapse in the first half of the 1930s.At that time,the quality of silkworm eggs was heterogeneous,the techniques of planting mulberry trees were backward,the silk industry had a poor foundation,there were only a few types of Sichuan silk products,and the industry faced a shortage of management talents and skilled workers.Shortly afterwards,the nationwide war of resistance against Japanese aggression broke out.As a result,the hub of China’s sericulture and silk industry started to shift from southeast to southwest.In the meantime,the demand for raw silk in the country skyrocketed.Since then,Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry began to play an increasingly important role in the country’s export.Therefore,both the local and central governments made moves and put in place a range of measures,for example,establishing a dedicated authority,improving production technologies,and developing a management system,to govern Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry.Throughout the period,the unified governance policy for Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry changed many times to meet wartime needs and keep a tighter rein on the industry.In 1938,the Outline of Methods for the Administration of Sericulture and Silk Industry by the Government of Sichuan Province was formulated,which strengthened administrative control over the production and sale of improved silk products through Sichuan Silk Industry Co.,Ltd.Thus,Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry flourished in wartime.In 1943,the Ministry of Finance promulgated the Method of the Unified Purchase and Sale of Raw Silk throughout the Country,implementing the method of unified purchase and sale for raw silk.Multifaceted research shows that the years of work of the government paid off.Thanks to it,Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry started to see some recovery in both output and export,Sichuan’s new silk industry developed,the society and the economy on the home front remained stable,and skilled workers for the industry were trained,which helped prepare the way for the revival of the industry.At that time,Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry started to show new prospects for development in terms of either technology or business pattern and contributed to the economic growth on the home front and the victory in the battlefield.That being said,the results achieved by the Kuomintang government in governing Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry during the period don’t deserve high praise.That’s because the industry was beset by many problems at that time.First,the Kuomintang government failed to adopt the right economic policy for the wartime unified governance of raw silk.Ostensibly,the wartime unified governance was to boost export,generate substantial foreign exchange earnings,and strengthen wartime economic development.But in practice,farmers and businessmen were put under heavy economic pressure when mercenary Fuxing Company,the spokesperson of the national monopoly capitalists,found it hard to raise the selling price on the international raw silk market where a cap was placed on the price and chose to push down the purchase price at home.Consequently,farmers who struggled to eke out an existence felled their mulberry trees and gave up raising silkworms,resulting in the undersupply of raw materials;businessmen who tried hard to survive had to downsize or shut down their businesses,running into cash flow difficulties.Second,little headway was made in the production technology.Third,the purchase price set by the government for raw silk was unreasonable.Fourth,there was a shortage of key talent for the industry.Fifth,a holistic governance concept was absent.As a result,the government-led governance and the accompanying overcontrol actually remained a barrier to the development of Sichuan’s sericulture and silk industry,and consequently to the effect of the governance measures and policies.Also because of them,the industry lacked momentum for development and slipped back instead of moving forward as the war gradually came to an end.After the war,it continued to slip back and was on the verge of collapse.