This project will produce a book-length history of experimental genetics in China, from its inception in the 1920s through its post-Maoist efflorescence in the 1980s. Of the very few case studies of modern Chinese science, this will be the first one to span the Republican and Communist eras. Genetics has been chosen because its history is exemplary, embodying a full range of issues faced by China's natural science community, including the creation of a research community from scratch, the role of foreign scientists in that creation process, the involvement of the state, and the interplay of science and ideology. A premise of the study is that historians, which concerned with such abstract topics, must not lose sight of the actual research conducted by scientists, because one cannot speak meaningfully about scientists and their community without describing and evaluating their research. This case study will demonstrate that, paralleling its accomplishments, there was a persistent and growing ambivalence about the modern scientific enterprise in China, generally expressed in nativist and populist conceptions of science. A broad range of primary sources will be consulted for this history, including archival data from Chinese universities and research institutes and from American philanthropic foundations. Past research activities are accessible through publications of universities and research institutes, and from conference proceedings. Interviews with scientists and visits for genetics research facilities in China complement the archival materials.
