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Article ID: CBB001221311

Scientific Disputes Surrounding Hevea Brailiensis Cultivation in the Early People's Republic of China (2011)

Yao, Yu (Author)

Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology
Volume: 32
Issue: 1
Pages: 4-22

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Technology and government Heredity Rubber and rubber industry, synthetic Science and politics Controversies and disputes 20th century Soviet Union China Lysenko, Trofim Denisovich

From the start of the Cold war in the late 1940s, as one part of the economic blockade against the socialist bloc, western countries tried hard to limit or ban the export of natural rubber, a fundamental strategic resource for modern economies, to the Soviet Union and its allies. The establishment of the People’s Republic of China brought hope to the Soviet leaders, since the sub-tropical lands of South China a climate and soil suitable for the cultivation of Hevea brasiliensis, the most important and productive rubber tree. The two socialist giants quickly joined hands. From the end of 1951 on, China sent hundreds of thousands of local farmers, soldiers and scientists to South China to expand cultivation, while the Soviet Union provided China with a loan amounting to 70 million rubles, along with heavy machinery and nearly a hundred specialists. Leaders and cadres of both countries were full of confidence about the project, believing that, provided sufficient human and material resources were available and fully utilized, there should be no significant obstacles. However, they did not realize that the nurturing of Hevea brasiliensis was first and foremost a scientific activity rather than a political task. Even worse, both sides believed that the notorious Lysenkoism, a biology pseudoscience, could guarantee success! Under these conditions, it is not surprising that Chinese scientists, mainly from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found themselves marginalized in this enterprise, even though they wanted to fully contribute their expertise. They were not only excluded from the policy-making process in Beijing, but also disregarded by local cadres in South China. The advice of the Soviet experts was followed slavishly, but the results were disastrous, even though these experts worked hard and played a positive role in organizational management. The resulting problems erupted in early 1953, and this biggest of bilateral cooperative projects was suddenly cancelled in mid-1953, when the Sino-Soviet relationship had just entered its honeymoon period. At this critical time, Chinese scientists proved that they had the capabilities to guide this project in the right direction. They provided many valuable suggestions that steered the rubber plantations in South China onto a healthier development trajectory. However, the subsequent years were not a golden age for these scientists. They still had to fight with the advocates of Lysenkoism and resist great pressure from impulsive political campaigns. This case study illustrates the dominance of the Soviet’s theories in Chinese economic and scientific fields through the 1950s. However, the failure of this cooperation could not be blamed solely on the Soviets. The great achievements made by Chinese scientists after 1953 implies that failure could have been avoided if input from Chinese scientists had been taken into consideration. All this leads to the conclusion that, regarding the problem of how to balance politics and science, some deep-rooted problems existed within China itself.

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