Historically, rice has had a great impact on the formation and development of chinese civilization, the evolution of chinese history, population growth and cultural identity。
In 1973, the discovery of cultural sites of the new stone age 7,000 years ago in yao, zhejiang, challenged the long-standing perception that chinese civilization originated in the yellow river basin. The subsequent discovery of more sites of the new stone age cultural sites in the yangtze mid-range area, from 45,000 to 10,000 years, attests to the fact that the yangtze basin is also one of the origins of chinese civilization. Rice for agriculture is a pillar and feature of the yangtze civilization. Historical records, the distribution of wild rice, the discovery of the legacy of neolithic rice and research into modern genetics have all proved that the mid-downstream of the yangtze river and its south are the origin of asian rice cultivation, and that ploughing rice has been pioneered in the ploughing of agriculture。
Rice is part of the construction of yellow river civilization. Since 1921, when the swedish ante was the first to discover the traces of rice shells at the henan tsing poe site, many of the prehistoric sites of gansu, shaanxi, shanxi, henan, shandong, jiangsu and other parts of the river basin and the yellow river have been located from 9 to 4 years ago, including the shanxi tao temple site, known in archaeological terms as the “first china”. History has shown that rice has been planted in the moist land when the water is treated; that the word “paddy” already exists in the oracle; and that earlier literature, such as the poetry book, makes much reference to rice。
From millennia ago, rice grew slowly over thousands of years, to the song generation around this millennium, becoming china's main food crop after millet and wheat. Over the past 500 years, although challenged by foreign crops such as maize, potatoes and potatoes, their dominance has not been shaken. Rice plays a key role in the livelihood of the nation. The south-eastern part of china, which is the main rice-producing region, has thus become a major economic focus of china. The national tax was later transferred to rice, originally a fall tax from 1 september, because the “creasing of rice cream” was replaced by a rent from 1 october. The national statutory measurement standards were changed by rice, which had been partially replaced by measurements based on tungsten. The population dependent on rice is also growing. By the end of next year, a situation had been created in which “the people of the world are born, and the rice is 17”。
Rice greatly affects the size and quality of the population. In 1935, geographers defined the zhuang-tunnel, with an easterly distribution of 36 per cent of the country and 96 per cent of the population, which largely coincided with the distribution of rice。
Rice also affects chinese cultural identity and socio-psychology, and even plays a role in shaping the national map. After the song generation, southerners were actively promoting rice cultivation in the north, while excluding foreign crops such as wheat. From the start of handy, people in the great wall were thinking of planting rice to stop the northern cavalry from down south. For example, east han zhang khang opened more than 8,000 rice fields under the foxnu mountains, song yuxiang and huang zhui, among others, brought rice to hebei and tested rice in ningxia, shubei, jinbei, hebei and tianjin along the great wall of ming dynasty. While these efforts have created limited barriers, the distribution of rice has significantly affected the boundaries of the state and the regime. From the rise of the three countries to the north-south confrontation, to song king chong chong, it is essentially the river, south of which is the main rice-producing area, while north of the river is dominated by nomadic and dry crops. Since the opening of the grand canal, the north-south rice movement, while preserving national unity, has consolidated the differences in farming between the north and the south, so that the differences in staple food crops form the basis for the north-south division of china, which “has a wide area of land north of the river, so that it can grow crops of the same kind, and so on”。
But the geographical north-south divide does not prevent the breakout of rice to the river. From the very day of its origin, rice has continued northwards, and rice production technologies have developed in the north, while participating in the construction of chinese civilization in the yellow river basin and the consolidation of china's northern frontier. The techniques of irrigated rice fields, saline land (halogenated land) rice growing, paddy water temperature regulation, and even rice transplantation are first documented in the north. After the 10th century, the southern rice production technology, which was developed by the influence of the north, was transmitted to the north through multiple routes, encouraged by intellectual advocacy and national policies. In some places, such as shanxi shinzheng, beijing jinxi and tianjin substations, rice crops have been developed to varying degrees, influenced by traditional cultures, royal politics and military fields. Historically, rice production has been highly valued by the nation, with the highest rulers of the feudal dynasty, song zong and kang hee, all involved in the selection and promotion of rice varieties. As a result, widespread attention has been paid to the cultivation and management of rice in urban areas. Con hee has also put the herds of rice into the summer hills of hyde, putting an end to the history of non-planting rice north of the wall。
(by mr. Yusheng, a researcher at the institute of natural science history of the chinese academy of sciences and professor at the university of the chinese academy of sciences)
