1930s China through American eyes

Grinding soy beans with a hand mill

The American ex-soldier who has learned to detest beans cannot appreciate the food importance attached to the soy bean in Eastern Asia. Its entry into the field of manufacturing is another matter. This he can accept. It has been found that the soy bean can be used in the making of a great many products. Some of these are paint, soap, linoleum, printing inks, glycerin and rubber substitute. The plant is valuable as a forage crop and the seeds are a nutritious livestock food. As it enriches the soil on which it grows, it is a valuable crop.

To the Chinese the soy bean is first of all important as a food, ranking second only to rice. It is rich in vitamins and for the Chinese provides the proteins, fats and calories their rice diet lacks. In China, it is "the poor man's meat and the poor man's milk."

It is in this last named use these Chinese mothers are especially interested. While many large bean mills exist throughout northern China -- where the soy bean is largely grown -- the simple stone mills operated by hand such as we see here are found in almost every home. Bean milk is made by crushing the beans. Water is added and the mass is then heated. This bean milk is fed to thousands of Chinese babies and has been so satisfactory its use is also being adopted in other lands for infant feeding. From the soy bean is also made the famous soy sauce, a piquant sauce much used in Chinese dishes.

[Photo provided to China Daily/Keystone View Company]