Inspired by recent environmental historical studies on animal extinctions and human-animal relations,this paper shifts scholarly attention from the plague-centered narrative of the great Pneumonic Plague Epidemics(191...Inspired by recent environmental historical studies on animal extinctions and human-animal relations,this paper shifts scholarly attention from the plague-centered narrative of the great Pneumonic Plague Epidemics(1910—11)to the fate of the plague host animals,Tarbagan marmots(Marmota sibirica>,and examines their ncar-extinction in Northwest Manchuria(Hulunbuir)from the 1900s to 1930s.Focusing on changing images of Tarbagan marmots from“inexpensive,”“sacred,”and“beneficial”in the pre-modem period to“valuable,”“dangerous,”and“noxious”in the early twentieth century,it argues that three interrelated factors:the international fur trade,pneumonic plagues,and environment changes together resulted in the“retreat of the marmots.”It also]uses this case study to help us better understand larger historical changes that occurred by contextualizing them in terms of human-marmot relations in Manchuria,China and beyond.展开更多
In less than fi fty years since 1866,the Scottish missionaries made tens of thousands of Presbyterian converts and established eight churches in Manchuria.The most striking feature of the Scottish mission was the miss...In less than fi fty years since 1866,the Scottish missionaries made tens of thousands of Presbyterian converts and established eight churches in Manchuria.The most striking feature of the Scottish mission was the missionaries’skill in adapting to the incredibly complicated social,political and cultural environment in Manchuria.Their educational mission served as a niche for the Scottish missionaries to adapt to the social environment.Their medical mission and involvement in the famine and plague relief not only increased their popularity among the people but also helped them to establish contacts with the upper classes and power holders,including the Chinese,Russian and Japanese.John Ross,the pioneering Scottish missionary,found common ground between Ch ristianity and Confucianism,and between the Judeo-Christian tradition and the ancient Chinese moral values.Al though Ross had a strong belief in the ability of Chinese people,with the purpose of“making Confucianism the handmaid of Christianity”,his enquiry into Confucianism was tinged with cultural superiority and practicality.展开更多
The collaboration between the Japanese and British empires in the first two decades of the 20th century facilitated the soybean’s migration out of Manchuria.When the two empires turned from collaborators to competito...The collaboration between the Japanese and British empires in the first two decades of the 20th century facilitated the soybean’s migration out of Manchuria.When the two empires turned from collaborators to competitors prior to and during WWII however,the British Empire was forced to experiment with soybean cultivation in Egypt on its own in order to satisfy the demand of its vegetable oil crushing industry to make soap and detergent amongst other things.This article is not simply about the production and trade of soybean,but more importantly about the transformation of the commodity during the processes of trade,production and consumption outside its original zone of cultivation.Although soybeans provide significantly more protein per acre than most other uses of land,in Egypt the plant was classified as an inedible oilseed,such as cotton seeds,rather than an edible grain that can also produce oil,such as maize.As a result of such classification,the soybean was perceived as an industrial raw material,rather than a food item.Consequently,the simple food preparation technology that was intimately associated with the soybean as a human food in Manchuria did not embark on the journey to Egypt.During this process of global migration,the soybean was transformed from a human food item in Manchuria mainly consumed for its protein content to an industrial raw material in Egypt mainly utilized for its oil content.展开更多
文摘Inspired by recent environmental historical studies on animal extinctions and human-animal relations,this paper shifts scholarly attention from the plague-centered narrative of the great Pneumonic Plague Epidemics(1910—11)to the fate of the plague host animals,Tarbagan marmots(Marmota sibirica>,and examines their ncar-extinction in Northwest Manchuria(Hulunbuir)from the 1900s to 1930s.Focusing on changing images of Tarbagan marmots from“inexpensive,”“sacred,”and“beneficial”in the pre-modem period to“valuable,”“dangerous,”and“noxious”in the early twentieth century,it argues that three interrelated factors:the international fur trade,pneumonic plagues,and environment changes together resulted in the“retreat of the marmots.”It also]uses this case study to help us better understand larger historical changes that occurred by contextualizing them in terms of human-marmot relations in Manchuria,China and beyond.
文摘In less than fi fty years since 1866,the Scottish missionaries made tens of thousands of Presbyterian converts and established eight churches in Manchuria.The most striking feature of the Scottish mission was the missionaries’skill in adapting to the incredibly complicated social,political and cultural environment in Manchuria.Their educational mission served as a niche for the Scottish missionaries to adapt to the social environment.Their medical mission and involvement in the famine and plague relief not only increased their popularity among the people but also helped them to establish contacts with the upper classes and power holders,including the Chinese,Russian and Japanese.John Ross,the pioneering Scottish missionary,found common ground between Ch ristianity and Confucianism,and between the Judeo-Christian tradition and the ancient Chinese moral values.Al though Ross had a strong belief in the ability of Chinese people,with the purpose of“making Confucianism the handmaid of Christianity”,his enquiry into Confucianism was tinged with cultural superiority and practicality.
文摘The collaboration between the Japanese and British empires in the first two decades of the 20th century facilitated the soybean’s migration out of Manchuria.When the two empires turned from collaborators to competitors prior to and during WWII however,the British Empire was forced to experiment with soybean cultivation in Egypt on its own in order to satisfy the demand of its vegetable oil crushing industry to make soap and detergent amongst other things.This article is not simply about the production and trade of soybean,but more importantly about the transformation of the commodity during the processes of trade,production and consumption outside its original zone of cultivation.Although soybeans provide significantly more protein per acre than most other uses of land,in Egypt the plant was classified as an inedible oilseed,such as cotton seeds,rather than an edible grain that can also produce oil,such as maize.As a result of such classification,the soybean was perceived as an industrial raw material,rather than a food item.Consequently,the simple food preparation technology that was intimately associated with the soybean as a human food in Manchuria did not embark on the journey to Egypt.During this process of global migration,the soybean was transformed from a human food item in Manchuria mainly consumed for its protein content to an industrial raw material in Egypt mainly utilized for its oil content.
