Following the Transfer of Technology: The Embedded Social Connections in Taiwan’s Tobacco Settlements
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Date
2016-04
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Scientific Research Publishing
Abstract
This paper examined the way in which the transfer of technology of the tobacco curing method
shaped the local social relationships in Taiwan’s tobacco settlement. Ever since the tobacco industry had been initiated by Japan’s colonial policy, the tobacco leaves had been cured in tobacco
buildings, which had a distinctive Japanese design. The farmers perceived the curing process to be
the hardest part of their work. Using tobacco buildings to cure leaves was a complicated process,
since it involved a combination of labour power exchange, time management and personal knowledge of temperature and humidity control. In this situation, a particular “labour power exchange”
emerged, which helped farmers to manage their time and labour power on the one hand, and on
the other hand, an intimate social relationship was formed and tobacco buildings became a social
centre in the local area. However, following the development of technology, curing machines were
introduced to replace the traditional tobacco buildings in the 1970s. This transformation not only
changed the curing method, but it also had an impact on local social relationships. By drawing on
documentary research and interviews conducted with farmers and residents in tobacco settlements in Taiwan, this paper attempts to explore the story of how people, places and the tobacco
industry are connected by this transfer of technology in the contemporary society.
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Keywords
Tobacco, Technology, Social Connection, Heritage, Taiwan