History of introduction and expansion of Coffee in early China (3)

1. Investigation on the age of coffee introduction in Hainan Island in 1898.

1.1 the age of the early introduction of coffee in Hainan Island is indisputably expressed as 1908 in many local records, agricultural history, agricultural history and various books and periodicals in China. However, the remains of the century-old coffee trees in Hainan Island are still there, and the descendants of the ancient trees are still there. Therefore, the actual existence of the century-old coffee trees unequivocally rewrote that the earliest introduction of coffee in Hainan Island should be in 1898.

1.2 in order to demonstrate this omitted historical fact, the author made an on-the-spot investigation on the offspring of Kuang Qibing, the offspring of the earliest coffee introduction in Shirenpo Village, Nanyang Town, Wenchang City, Hainan Province, on December 14-19, 2009. Kuang Qiping described: "Kuang Shilian was my grandfather. He was born in 1880 and married in 1896. After marriage, he gave birth to two sons. He died of illness one after another. In 1898, he went to his eldest uncle in Malaysia because he was sad. Half a year later, because he was not used to the living habits of other families, he brought back coffee seeds to his hometown in Wenchang, Hainan Island, and planted 12 trees. Later, he gave birth to two sons, one of whom died of illness. There is one left "(that is, Kwong Jiahan, the father of the current interviewee Kwong Qibing).

1.3 Kwong Ki-ping also said, "I am 79 years old this year. I remember very clearly that I had these three coffee trees before I was born. When I was a child, we used to enjoy the cool under the coffee trees." In other words, these three coffee trees are at least 80 years old and should be from before 1929. After on-the-spot investigation, the trunk circumference of the ancient coffee tree is 46.5cm, 49.5cm and 77cm respectively. The trunk of the ancient coffee tree with a circumference of 77cm in front of the master's house has been eaten by termites, but it is still alive. It is speculated that the existing one is about 90 years old.

1.4 according to Kuang Xiangri, the fourth generation of the Kuang family (now 54 years old, working for the Wenchang Public Security Bureau) and his brother Kuang Xiangzhi (now 52 years old, still farming at home), standing at the original site of 12 old coffee trees, they told us, "because my family built a new house in 2000, these 12 century-old coffee trees were cut down, leaving a tree behind the house, and the new branches and leaves grew for more than eight years." It was observed on the spot that the new coffee tree at the head of ancient coffee had luxuriant branches and leaves, diameter perimeter 22cm, leaf length 32cm, leaf width 13 cm, leaf hypertrophy, leaf vein clearly visible, still bearing a small amount of fruit, large fruit, fresh coffee bean length 2.3cm, diameter 1.8cm, which is a large species of Coffea liberica.

1.5 Kwong Xiangri described: "I am 54 years old this year. I already had these 22 existing coffee trees before I was born, which should have a history of more than 60 years. There are 22 coffee trees in the survey, including 3 over 80 years old, with a height of more than 12 meters, and 19 over 60 years old.

1.6 during the on-the-spot investigation, we learned that a reporter from Hainan Daily witnessed the grand occasion of the ancient coffee forest in the early 1980s. A few days later, we had the privilege of finding Mr. Chen Jinfu, a reporter from Hainan Daily, and looked up the picture and text report "Coffee Tree King" published by reporters Chen Jinfu and Fu Maoyan on the first page of Hainan Daily on February 7, 1981. the subtitle is "it has grown for 83 years, it still has luxuriant branches and leaves, and there are many fruits year after year." the full text is as follows:

"Coffee trees are usually only 20 or 30 years old, 40 or 50 years old at the most. However, in the Shiren Po Kwong production team of the Gao Xing Brigade of the Nanyang Commune in Wenchang County, there is a coffee tree that has grown for 83 years. Although it has been hit by typhoons and other natural disasters, it still flourishes and bears numerous fruits year after year. The locals call it the 'King of Coffee Tree'. The owner of this coffee tree is Kuang Qibing, who is 53 years old this year. According to Kuang Qiping, the curry tree was brought back from Malaysia by his grandfather, Kwong Shilian, in 1898. Now, its trunk has a circumference of 67 centimeters, a height of 5.5 meters, and a shady area of about 20 square meters. It is planted next to the master's house, the soil is hilly red clay, the land is fertile and moist, which provides it with good growth conditions. Coupled with the owner's hard management, it becomes more and more "young" and vibrant, giving its master a good harvest year after year. According to the owner's recollection, this coffee tree has been picking for 78 years, and a total of more than 6700 jin of coffee fruit has been harvested. During this period, the harvest was the highest in 1957, when 180 jin of fresh fruits were picked. Later, due to repeated natural disasters and the influence of left-leaning thoughts, the output dropped somewhat, but it was still more than 70 jin a year, more than 10 times that of ordinary coffee trees. Last year, under the continuous impact of typhoons, droughts and other natural disasters, the output still reached more than 80 jin. Because of the height of the tree, they picked it with the help of ladders every time they harvested. This coffee tree has the characteristics of high fruit rate, large fruit and good fruit quality. the processed coffee powder has a mellow and delicious taste. As a result, local members are scrambling to introduce varieties, and during the harvest season, many members travel long distances to his home to buy seeds. At present, its descendants can be found everywhere in the suburbs of this county, Xinqiao, Tanniu, East Road, Mai, Penglai and other communes, as well as the Dapo Commune in Qiongshan County. "

2. Historical records on the early introduction of coffee in Hainan Island.

2.1 Chronicles of Guangdong Province. The third chapter of the Annals of Land Reclamation, tropical crop cultivation, page 173: "in 34 years (1908), overseas Chinese businessman Zeng Wangyuan brought coffee seeds back from Malaya and planted about 150000 trees in Nada area of Danxian County, Hainan Island, and used Muzi for intercropping as a shade. Most of them died from frost in 1916. During the period of the Republic of China, returned overseas Chinese set up companies and set up farms on Hainan Island to grow coffee, the larger of which was Maoyuan Company, a private investment organization in 1930, which planted more than 10,000 coffee plants in Yangxin Village, Taopo Township, Wenchang County. In 23 (1934), Qiaoxing Company planted 300000 coffee plants in Nada, Danxian County. After it was put into production, it produced 1 ton of coffee beans every year. According to the investigation in the early 1950s, there were a large number of coffee trees left in Fushan area of Chengmai County, with a total of 70,000 trees, including more than 40,000 in Daji Village and more than 10,000 in Fushan Farm (Hongguang Farm). The coffee that Qiaoxing Company used to grow there has become extinct. Most of the coffee trees in Wenchang County are scattered, with about 200 in Houchang Village, Weichang Township. There are coffee trees on the island covering an area of about 500 mu, of which 200 mu are taken over by state-owned farms. In addition to the coffee trees managed by the farm to pay attention to tending and management, the vast majority of the other operations are extremely extensive, with no fertilization, no pruning, no tending, bare woodland, overgrown weeds, disease spread, laissez-faire, resembling wild, and the yield is extremely low.

2.2 in 1956, Chapter 2, Section 5 of the data Collection of Tropical and Subtropical Resources Exploration in Hainan Island, Guangdong Province, recorded: "cultivation in China began in 1884, when it was introduced to Taipei County in Taiwan for trial planting. Hainan Island began in 1908, when two companies, Qiaoxing and Qiongan, introduced seeds from Nanyang for trial planting near Nada and Shibi, but failed because of poor management. After that, C.liberica, C.robusta and C.arabica were introduced by overseas Chinese in Malaysia and planted in Wenchang, Chengmai, Wanning, Baoting and Yaxian, respectively. There are many new coffee gardens in Wenchang after 1925, but they are not well managed and have no good results. In 1935, overseas Chinese from Taishan introduced C.robusta from Java and grew well near Chengmai Fushan City. In 1936, Mr. Zheng Jianrong of Qiongya Industry introduced the following varieties from South America:

Coffea robusta, Coffea bourbon, Coffea maragogipe, Coffea concensois, Coffea san Ramon, Coffea quillou, Coffea excelsa, Coffea columnaris,Hybrids, same as the first species (coffea canephora,Laur). The above varieties were planted at a trial station in Fushan City, but soon due to the occupation of the Japanese enemy, the station also resulted in the result that the varieties were not lost and it was difficult to find out. Now there are only a few species that can be seen in Haiyuan Coffee Garden. During the period when the Japanese aggressors occupied Hainan, they also set up a main nursery in Maihao City, Wenchang, and planted a large number of seedlings. At present, coffee production is mainly concentrated in the vicinity of Chengmai Fushan City, followed by the western part of Wenchang County and the vicinity of Danxian County. After liberation, the cultivated area has expanded rapidly. Xinglong City in Wanning County is an emerging center. According to a survey in 1954, there are more than 290000 plants on the island.

3. Mr. Chen Xianzhang, the first returned overseas Chinese to realize coffee industrialization in China.

3.1 in the process of historical research on the early introduction and expansion of coffee in China, it is found that the early introduction and expansion of the three major coffee producing areas in China-Yunnan Province, Hainan Island and Taiwan Island-have their own characteristics: for example, the early introduction of Ruili Nongxian in Yunnan and Zhukula in Binchuan are the products of foreign missionaries and failed to form an industrialization scale before the liberation of China in 1949. The early introduction of coffee on Taiwan Island was also carried out by foreign businessmen on a small scale and sporadically; only Hainan Island coffee was introduced and expanded on a large scale, which is the history of coffee cultivation of patriotic overseas Chinese and Chinese themselves, and the history of patriotic overseas Chinese struggling to save the economic rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It has to be mentioned here that coffee industrialization was realized in the earliest period in China (1935-1953), Chinese coffee was exported to overseas markets for the first time, and the whole family went to the island to set up two farms to develop coffee industry on a large scale. Mr. Chen Xianzhang, a patriotic overseas Chinese who has worked extremely hard and persisted for 15 years. There is every reason to say that Mr. Chen Xianzhang, a patriotic overseas Chinese, should be an important brushstroke in the history of Chinese coffee development.

3.2 Qiongya, published in May 1934, says: "Qiongya and the two islands of Taiwan, both two eyes in the southeast of China, occupy an important position geographically. The importance of Hainan Island, the rich source of Hainan Island, the fruit is no less than Taiwan, or superior! Qiongya is the only island that has not yet been developed. If we give up this big island, people all over the world will be sighing and drooling. If we do not think of a way to make Qiongya rich and prosperous, we will be sneered at by outsiders. I'm afraid we're in danger of slowly hiding education and stealing! " This is the background of Mr. Chen Xianzhang's family going to Hainan Island to introduce and expand coffee on a large scale in 1935.

3.3 according to pages 21-28 of Kaiping Literary and Historical Materials in Guangdong Province, the article "Chen Xianzhang, founder of 'Fushan Coffee'-returned overseas Chinese from Indonesia," compiled by the literature and history editorial team, has the following five paragraphs:

3.3.1 "resolutely brought the whole family of 14 back to their hometown in 1933, ready to invest in the development of industry." When he returned to Guangzhou from Hong Kong in 1934, he was welcomed by the Kuomintang Guangdong provincial government and appointed him as an adviser to the Guangdong overseas Chinese Affairs Committee. In 1935, he was introduced by Mr. Feng Shaoqiang, an overseas Chinese sage in Guangzhou, to Zhu Chini, director of Qiongya Industrial Bureau. Zhu urged him to invest in Hainan and invited him to Hainan twice. Mr. Xianzhang traveled to 13 counties and cities in Qiongya and made a detailed investigation and research. wherever he went, he personally watched the terrain, tested the soil, and explored the water source. With his discerning eye, he decided that the Fushan area was "Pingwu Miao, spring sweet soil, evergreen all the year round, and convenient transportation." it was an ideal natural site for the development of tropical crop cultivation, that is, Guangyang bought more than 1400 mu of land with Daji village farmers. In September of the same year, he returned to Guangzhou with his family to arrive in Fushan. After settling down, he and his family began to work hard. He and his family were camping out and cutting through difficulties. With industrious hands, it took painstaking blood and sweat for the early development of this virgin land-- Chengmai Fumin Farm, the first cash crop farm in Chengmai County.

3.3.2 "in the winter of 1942, the coffee garden of Fumin Farm was full of fruit, and more than 8000 jin of coffee was harvested that year. The products are in short supply and are exported to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tianjin and other places. The unique "Fukuyama Coffee" with its unique taste, color and fragrance has been well-known both inside and outside the island. Chen Xianzhang's name is linked to "Fushan Coffee".

3.3.3 "Mr. Xianzhang successfully introduced Robisda coffee, and Fumin Farm began to take shape, which set an example for the development of Baodao Island. Therefore, it gets the attention of Qiongya Industry Bureau. In the spring of 1937, the bureau organized Wang Shaoping and a group of returned overseas Chinese to visit Fumin Farm. Mr. Xianzhang has also repeatedly written to overseas relatives and friends to make personal comments on the successful process of introducing coffee, the prospect of development is considerable, and how to jointly develop Hainan Island is an action beneficial to the country and the people. Through such a launch and guidance, many overseas Chinese and businessmen have successively purchased land in Fushan area, set up industrial companies, formulated plans, and carried out development. According to relevant records, during the two years from 1937 to 1938, there were Hainan Company of Li Mingze in Hong Kong, Weichang Company of Chen Weimin of the United States, Weiping Company of Guan Guochang of the Philippines, Hainan Farm of Zhou Ziquan and Ma Zongcheng of Canada, Chen Guangming Shihe Company of Japan, Sanyi Company of Li Ruxiang of Macao, Li Xing Company, Fuhe Company and Dacheng Company jointly organized by Chen Xianzhang and Li Mingze. In an instant, the sleeping barren mountains in Fukuyama area were finally awakened by people. These overseas naked children are determined to eradicate its poverty and backwardness, increase its prosperity and prosperity, expand its bright future and do great work for this virgin land that has yet to be reclaimed. Unfortunately, due to the various changes caused by the Japanese invasion of Qiong, the companies were forced to withdraw one after another, and the development plan could not be implemented. The above-mentioned companies left no less than 10,000 mu of land desolate, but under the control of Mr. Chen Xianzhang, Fumin Farm overcame unimaginable difficulties and persisted in running the market for 15 years, ushering in the liberation of Hainan Island. In 1950, the initial reclaimed area of Zhi Fumin Farm has reached 1100 mu, with 12500 coffee harvested.

3.3.4 Chronicles of Guangdong. The chapter on the overview of page 3 of the Annals of Land Reclamation recorded: "in 1925 (AD 1930-1936), the Maoyuan Company, Revitalization Company and Fumin Farm were established by private investment, mainly to grow tropical crops such as coffee, sisal and citronella. By the end of the 1940s, according to recorded figures, Hainan Island had a rubber plantation of 32600 mu, with a total of 867600 rubber trees, with an annual output of 199,000 tons of dry rubber, and more than 300,000 coffee plants with an annual output of 1 ton of coffee beans. The records in the sixth volume of Hainan Literature and History (military and political Comprehensive Volume) published by Nanhai Publishing Company in January 1993 also demonstrate the above historical facts.

3.3.5 from 1952 to 1953, at the invitation of Director Chen Ping of the newly built Xinglong overseas Chinese Collective Farm in Wanning County, he led his second son Chen Maoxiu to Xinglong to participate in the planning and technical guidance of the site. At that time, the farm appointed Mr. Chen Xianzhang as a technical consultant and Chen Maoxiu as a technician. He also supplied seedlings for the farm in time, so that the planting plan was successfully completed. The seedlings he provided included more than 3500 jin of coffee seeds, about 1.33 million citronella seedlings in 12 batches, and 150000 seedlings in 11 batches of sisal seedlings. In addition, a batch of coffee seedlings were supplied in time for Qionghai Shibi overseas Chinese Reclamation Company, Xinmin Company, Hainan Agriculture and Forestry Department Farm and Renxing Farm in Chengmai County. Fumin Farm became the seed and seedling production base for the above-mentioned farms to develop coffee planting industry in the early days of liberation.

3.4 the author has visited Mr. Chen Xianzhang's relatives in the United States, Hong Kong and Haikou through various channels. I visited Cai Guihua, four daughter-in-law of Chen Xianzhang, who returned from Hong Kong on August 14, 2009. she is 75 years old. She is one of the early coffee breeders in Fumin Farm in Fushan and now lives at 33-1 back Street, Jiefang East Road, Haikou City. The following is the dictation of the old man Cai Guihua:

In 1933, my father (Chen Xianzhang, a native of Kaiping, Guangdong) was introduced by a friend to Hong Kong from Indonesia and then to Guangzhou, and finally to Hainan. My father brought back coffee, citronella, sisal, potatoes and rubber seeds from Indonesia. He bought a lot of land in Fushan, Nada, Dazu and Majiao in Hainan, and set up two farms, one of which covers an area of more than 1500 mu. The other farm is called Fumin Farm. Mr. Chen has 19 children, including 13 sons and 6 daughters. The fifth son, Chen Maodian, joined the people's Liberation Army Air Force and was a pilot. The seventh son, Chen Maofang, also joined the Chinese people's Liberation Army. The 13 sons of the two farms built by Mr. Chen have shares. At that time, Fumin Farm had more than 10 regular workers, and they would employ temporary workers when they were busy, with a wage of 1.2 yuan per day. I learned the technique of growing coffee from Mr. Chen Xianzhang, who is paid 50 yuan a month.

In February 1953, in Fushan, together with other workers, I wiped off the underwear of coffee grains with wood ash and carried out coffee breeding. The coffee seedlings were transported to Xinglong in Wanning by driver Wang. Driver Wang also took a picture of me when I was 19 years old.

In November 1953 of the lunar calendar, Mr. Chen was forced to leave Fumin Farm because of his family composition as "landlord" and "capitalist". He was arrested in Haikou, imprisoned in Jinjiang, Chengmai County, and criticized and beaten in prison. Since then, Fumin Farm was taken over by the state, changed to a state-run farm, and changed its name to the present Hongguang Farm. In 1955 and 1956, Mr. Chen was assigned to work in the soap factory in Fucheng, Qiongshan County, and in April 1957 he got out of prison and returned to his home in Haikou.

In 1959, Mr. Chen went to Guangzhou to recuperate. In 1969, due to his old age, diabetes and other diseases, Mr. Chen, who was about 88 years old, died in Longjin Bell Tower (now renamed "Xiangyang Street") in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

3.5 to sum up, it is not difficult to see that Mr. Chen Xianzhang's life is so persistent in starting a business, never turning back, and his life is so rich and ill-fated. It is not too much to consult a large number of documents and many coffee people to call Mr. Chen Xianzhang "the first person in China Coffee" and "the founder of Fushan Coffee". I would like to conclude this article with a paragraph on page 46 of towards Sunshine, the eighth son of Mr. Chen Maoxiang (born in 1932) published in Hong Kong on August 28, 2008. Hainan Daily and overseas Chinese Sheng Bao reported on this. The former Hong Kong "New Evening News" also said that he was the first overseas Chinese to grow coffee in Hainan. He affirmed his pioneering spirit, and he could only find comfort under the nine springs. As the saying goes, "Life is like a dream, life is like a play", but it is still like a dream rather than a dream.