Doctoral Dissertation Research: Balancing the Quantity and Quality of Chinese Rice

稻米的消费和生产是中国社会、政治和经济的一个组成部分。 为了通过现代技术实现粮食生产的自给自足，中国政府在杂交水稻和生物技术开发方面投入了大量资金，通过水稻生产的科学进步来养活人民。 近年来，城市消费者正在拒绝这种大规模生产的大米，而青睐更高质量的大米，如中国东北地区种植的粳稻品种。 与此同时，“素质”的国家话语促进了一种公民主体性的模式，旨在对抗毛泽东时代对物质大规模生产和人口数量的强调。 这个博士论文项目将确定中国国家关于“质量”人的话语如何影响当代社会的大米生产和消费。 本研究将探讨以下问题：（1）中国政府和农民如何在大规模生产大米的需求与城市消费者对优质大米的需求之间进行协商？ (2)粳稻在哪些方面代表了城市消费者和农村生产者的“品质”？ 一个来自中国东北的粳稻的案例研究将展示这种特殊的大米被认为是“优质”的方式。博士生将与中国水稻科学家和农业政策制定者进行访谈，与北京城市消费者进行调查，并对中国东北地区的粳稻生产，分销和消费进行深入的民族志探索。 综合这些活动的结果，将揭示随着国家政策转向反映消费者的作用，消费的力量正在上升。 随着中国国家对“质量”的话语扩展到农业政策领域，本项目将提供一个适当的透镜来分析城乡社会鸿沟之间的联系。本论文的研究项目将加强对中国国家话语实践如何影响粮食生产和消费实践变化的基本理解。 此外，它将提供洞察消费者在中国新的市场经济中指导农业生产的日益增长的影响力。 除了增加对中国国内社会和环境变化的基本了解外，项目成果还将涉及全球大米和粮食贸易市场。 这将具有特殊的意义，因为美国农业部和加州水稻种植者越来越担心中国粳稻出口到亚洲，减缓了他们自己的市场。 该项目还可能为更广泛的问题提供新的视角，例如从中国进口到美国的食品安全性作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生能够建立强大的独立研究事业。 该项目由NSF地理和区域科学计划以及国际科学与工程办公室的东亚和太平洋计划共同支持。

The consumption and production of rice is an integral part of Chinese society, politics, and economy. In an effort to be self-sufficient in grain production through modern technology, the Chinese government has invested significantly in using hybrid rice and developing biotechnology to feed the people through scientific advances in rice production. In recent years, urban consumers are rejecting this mass-produced rice in favor of higher-quality rice, such as japonica varieties grown in China's northeast. At the same time, the state discourse of suzhi (quality) promotes a model citizen subjectivity meant to counter the Mao era's emphasis on material mass-production and population quantity. This doctoral dissertation project will identify how the Chinese state discourse regarding "quality" people affects the production and consumption of rice in contemporary society. The following questions will be addressed: (1) How do the Chinese state and farmers negotiate the need for high-quantity mass production of rice with urban consumer demand for high-quality rice? (2) In what ways does japonica rice represent "quality" for both urban consumers and rural producers? A case study of japonica rice from China's northeast will demonstrate the ways that this particular rice is considered to be "high quality." The doctoral candidate will conduct interviews with Chinese rice scientists and agricultural policy makers, surveys with urban consumers in Beijing, and an in-depth ethnographic exploration of japonica rice production, distribution, and consumption in the northeast region of China. The integration of findings from these activities will reveal the rising power of consumption as state policy has shifted to reflect the role of consumers. As the Chinese state discourse of "quality" expands into the realm of agricultural policies, this project will provide an appropriate lens to analyze the connection across rural-urban social divides.This dissertation research project will enhance basic understanding regarding how Chinese state discursive practices have influenced changes in grain production and consumption practices. Moreover, it will provide insight into the growing influence that consumers have in guiding agricultural production in China's new market economy. In addition to increasing basic understanding of domestic social and environmental changes in China, project results will relate to the global market for rice and food trade. This will have special relevance because the U.S. Department of Agriculture and California rice growers increasingly are concerned about Chinese japonica rice exports to Asia slowing their own market. The project may also shed new light on broader ranging issues, such as the safety of food imports from China to the U.S. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career. This project is jointly supported by the NSF Geography and Regional Science Program and the East Asia and Pacific Program in the Office of International Science and Engineering.