Prior to the 18th century the Qing government adopted a policy of banning the movement of Han Chinese into the Manchurian homeland. However, after the 18th century there was much greater fluidity of population movement. The period spanning the latter half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century particularly saw a large influx of migrants from Shandong and Hebei provinces to the Liaodong region. Also, from the middle of the Qing era to the beginning of the 20th century, many people migrated to northern Manchuria as a result of the new policies of the Qing government. The Qing government encouraged migrants to cultivate the land, thereby increasing crop yields. Soybeans, soybean cake, soybean oil and wood from northeast China also began to be exported to Japan from the beginning of the 20th century. Japanese local production could not meet the high demand for soybeans due to limited farmland and the small acreage of crops. It was for these reasons that Japan began to import soybeans and soy products from the Anton port in China, which was also advantageous geographically. At the same time this trade also aided the economic development of northeastern China. Although much research has dealt with the soybeans exported from Dalian and Yingkou, research into the soy trade between Anton and Japan in the early 20th century is lacking. This paper will focus on the trade of soybeans and soy products from Anton to Japan. It will look specifically at the varieties of Anton soybean and their uses, as well as the importance of the soybean trade within the Anton Port's trading activities as a whole.
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