Advocacy of chicken poultry in Republican China (1911-1949) : history of a modern food industry

Abstract

Egg industry development in Republican China (1911-1949) had a critical but overlooked role in modern Chinese history. The egg industry had purchased chicken eggs from rural China and exported them to European and North America market, turning the eggs into a global commodity. Through the export trade, the egg industry had provided economic incentives for chicken poultry development, increased chicken egg consumption in the urban area, and secured a place in the conversation of China’s nation building. Against the backdrop of industrial development, a number of Republican individuals began to advocate chicken poultry in 1920s. By increasing chicken egg production and domestic consumption, these poultry advocates hoped to sustain industrial development, balance national trade deficit, support rural construction, and improve nutritional health. Through the poultry advocacy, this thesis investigates the modern transformation of chicken egg production and consumption in China from the aspects of commerce, production, and consumption. It also looks at the relation between Western sciences and traditional Chinese practices, which the poultry advocates had tried to utilize in poultry reform and chicken egg promotion. Finally, it examines the multiple reinterpretations of chicken egg consumption in Republican China. This thesis pointed to the influence of market forces and nationalism in modern food production and consumption, and contributes to the modern history of agricultural techniques, food industry, and notions of nutrition in China.