Abstract: Chemical fertilizer is an important product and symbol of modernization. Modern Chinese society, which was striving to accept and catch up with the tide of modernization, could have expected the spread and rapid popularization of chemical fertilizers. However, the reality of life is that the use of chemical fertilizer in modern China was not only limited, but also developed slowly, and even declined after 1930. The application of chemical fertilizer in modern China presents an obvious paradox. The attitude of Chinese farmers towards the land in modern times, the side effects of chemical fertilizer application, and the special economic and social background are the main reasons for the poor application of chemical fertilizer, and also the key factors to understand the paradox of chemical fertilizer application in modern China.

Key Words: Agricultural modernization; Chemical fertilizer; Negative effect of fertilizer

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