Route and Consequences of the “Treatment after Pollution” Problem ——Environmental Control and Development of Leather-making Industry in Maoji Town① Chen Ajiang LuoYajuan Chen tao Abstract: Since China began to carry out the policy of reform and opening-up, the Hui people had taken advantage of the geographical location of Maoji to develop leather-making industry and gradually made it the “capital of leather” in central China and, regrettably, also caused serious environmental pollution. Under the high pressure of the government’s policy for environmental protection, the number of Maoji's leather-making factories has been reduced from 500 to 3. After all the efforts in closing down factories, suspending operation and merging some with the others, though their total productive capacity remains stable, these enterprises have been greatly devitalized. The recession of leather-making industry of Maoji is related to the changes in its geographical advantage and the change in international and domestic market demands as well as the coercive policies. The case study of Maoji deserves the reflection of the industrial circle and the governments. Key Words: leather-making industry; environmental pollution; transformation in production; reflection Introduction The foucs on Maoji began with the literature research stage on the NSSF subject called “Harmony Relationship between Water-Human”. According to the literature reading impression, Maoji was not only polluted seriously, the pollution also ① NSSF subject: Harmony Relationship between Water-Human（07BSH036） The Chinese edition was published in Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities(Phlosocophy and Social Science Edition), No.3, 2011（本文中文版本发 表于《广西民族大学学报》（哲学社会科学版）2011 年第 3 期）. 1 restricted its development. As described by Ou Zhengtao, because of the pollution, Maoji gradually declined from the original “capital of leather” in central China. “No body dared to drink the polluted water, no outsider dared to come. People in the town had almost moved away. Those who stayed in Maoji were the people who had no way to leave or the people kept on undertaking leather-making factories.” [1](P121~122)So, the authors regard it as the type of disharmonious human-water relationship in which the relationship between human and water enters into the vicious cycle. It means water pollution causes human diseases, economic recession, poverty, population migration, and then deepens the social differentiation, social inequality and other problems induced social problems. [2] In the design stage of the NSSF subject, Maoji was seen as a typical point for studying disharmonious human-water relationship in Huaihe River Basin. In the April of 2009, we arrived at Maoji with the research hypothesis. In the field study, we found that Maoji’s actual situation roughly matched the type of disharmonious human-water relationship, but, there was a significant difference from the literature impression. Besides, it would be no great significance if our research was only satisfied with finding some materials to proof or deny that whether it match the type. Therefore, we took our time to research into some in-depth problems, like why the capital of leather in central China rising from Maoji, and how environment issue affect it’s subsequent economic development, and so on. The development history of Maoji’s leather-making industry over the 20 years shows that environment deeply affects its whole development process. And in a sense, this development path and restriction influence of environmental protection on economic development is a epitome of the early development stage of central China even the whole China. When China’s economy hasn’t taken off, the models of “treatment after pollution” in the western capitalism were criticized. And we have confidence in avoiding this model because our county is a socialist state. However, the following development path shows that, all the developing countries including China have almost impossible to avoid this model. Of course, considering the unbalance of developing path across China and the uncompleted industrialization, if 2 we can actually avoid the” treatment after pollution” from now on, it will still play a decisive role in environment protection in China. And this is just the practical significance of analyzing this case. The Rising of Leather-making Industry Maoji is located in X city in eastern Henan province situated in the transitional zone of alluvial plain districts of the Yellow River and the Huai River. There are four rivers in X city, called Sha, Fen, Ni and Gu, and there are lots of branches along these four rivers. X city has 12 towns, 3 villages and 6 subdisrict offices, with 1083 square kilometers, and 117 million people. As a traditional agricultural area, it mainly grows corn, wheat, soybeans and other crops. Currently, besides the agriculture, monosodium glutamate, leather, pharmaceutical, food, textile and other industrial pillar industries also develop well. Maoji is 10 km away from X city, with 30 administrative villages and 56 thousand people. [3] In the history, Maoji is a traditional agriculture area and most residents live on farming. Since the 1980s, Leather-making industry becomes the pillar industry gradually. There are two ethnic groups, Han people and Hui people, and Han people are the majority. Hui people have the population of 900, living in the North of Maoji where is habitually called Hui people village. Guhe River runs through the center of Maoji town. The town mainly lies in South bank of the Guhe River. In the early 1980s, a few Hui people of Hui people village began to do leather business. They bought rawhide sheep and cattle from Gansu, Qinghai and other provinces, and then sold to the eastern China after processing into dressed leather. The economic benefit encouraged other Hui people to deal with leather business. What’s more, Han people in Maoji and nearby also began to engage in leather business. Initially, in our county town, besides our Maoji’s Hui people, there were also some Hui people dealing with leather industry in the old county town. But Mouji is the main location……This Hui people village began to make leather from 1980s. After 1990s, nearly each family in this village was engaging with leather industry……At that time, many people around came here as temporary workers. (Village cadres’ 3 interview record in Maoji, April 4, 2009). By the end of the 1980s and early 1990s, the title of “capital of leather” in central China had been slowly formed. With the guiding of Hui people, more and more people began to deal with leather business. According to Mr. Ma who works in BM Leather Limited Company, there were at least 500 family leather workshops in Maoji. At that time, the market demand exceeded supply across the county, and because Maoji’s Leather-making Industry started earlier, it developed very well. And the businessmen from Haining and Guangzhou all came to Maoji to purchase Leather. Gradually, Maoji became the collecting and distributing center of national Leather-making Industry. Until 1995, Maoji’s Leather-making Industry had been in such a state of flourishing, playing a role of collecting and distributing center. Due to the prosperity of the Leather-making Industry, Maoji town took on a scene of prosperity. The increasing of alien population (including foreign businessmen and temporary workers), promoted the development of service industry. According to the locals, there were 2000 to 3000 temporary workers in Maoji’s leather-making factories in 1995. In the morning at 8 o’clock, the boss could easily seek 100 or 200 temporary workers from Maoji’s street. On both sides of the streets, besides leather stalls, there were many restaurants and hotels. The situation of foreign businessmen inflowing can be reflected from the hotel’s business. At that time, Maoji was very prosperous; lots of bosses around China came here to trade leather and sheepskin. They all lived in my hotel. Both sides of the road in front of my hotel were Leather-making Industries, and restaurants were from door to door. People around 15 km came here to look for jobs. This hotel was built in 1987. On the third floor, there is also a ballroom and a dining-room. Some bosses live here. It’s normal that bosses from Zhejiang province came here for fun after a busy day. The hotel’s business was very good at that time. There were no rooms if you came here after 11 o’clock at night. Consequently, I wanted to augment the size of the restroom then. (Interview record of the hotel’s boss, April 3, 2009) Before modern industrialization, traditional handicraft industry existed across 4 China, like textile industry, leather-making industry, bamboo industry and so on. X city also had some traditional handicraft industry. However, according to X city’s county annals in 1985, it had some leather-making industries, but not in Maoji. So, it’s an interesting question that why the leather-making industry in central China rise from Maoji? And why Maoji’s leather-making industry derived from Hui people village? From the macro aspect, the geographical advantage is very obvious. First of all, the raw material advantage is obvious. Central China has wide area and raises numerous cattle and sheep. Besides, the traffic is convenient and close to Northern China which is rich in supply of raw hide. Secondly, its product market had great advantage because Maoji located in central Region connecting west and east. But why did leather-making industry rise in Maoji and Maoji’s Hui people village? It might have great connection to Hui people’s cultural tradition. They are good at business. Different from Han people who have tradition of attaching import to agriculture and despising commerce, the Hui people have traditional business and are good at and happy to business.