Geographical Research On Food For Famine Relief In The Ming And Qing Dynasties

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,food for famine relief was very important to the lives of the victims.This paper explores the temporal and spatial distribution of food disaster events,the types of food,the spatial distribution of typical food,the geographical division of food,and the factors affecting the regional differences of food in Ming and Qing Dynasties,and tries to study the food from the perspective of historical geography.This paper has two meanings: in terms of academic significance,it not only provides a new perspective for the study of historical diet geography,but also broadens the research content of historical disaster geography.In practical sense,it provides reference for maintaining food security,carrying out disaster relief work and shaping people’s correct food concept.This paper mainly includes six aspects:The first part is the introduction,which mainly explains the origin of the topic,defines the relevant concepts of food and spatial distribution of the problem,reviews the academic history and analyzes the current situation of research,discusses the significance and research methods of the research.The second part restores the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of catastrophic dietary events during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The temporal and spatial distribution of catastrophic food events in the Ming and Qing Dynasties have the following seven points:(1)In terms of dynasty distribution,compared with Ming Dynasty,the occurrence of famine food events was more frequently in Qing Dynasty;(2)In terms of centuries distribution,the occurrence of famine food events was more frequently in the16 th,17th and 19 th centuries;(3)In terms of interdecadal distribution,the occurrence of famine food events was more frequently in 1368-1510 s,and 1520s-1600 s was an increasing period,1610s-1750 s was a peak period,and 1760s-1880 s was a relatively high period 1890s-1911 was the frequent period;(4)In terms of east-west distribution,the occurrence of famine food events was more frequently in the central region and less in the western region;(5)in terms of North-South distribution,the occurrence of famine food events was more frequently in the north and less in the south;(6)In terms of the distribution of high-level administrative regions,the occurrence of famine food events was more frequently in nine provinces and autonomous regions,including Zhili,Shanxi,Shandong,Henan,Shaanxi,Jiangsu,Anhui,Zhejiang,and Hubei;the occurrence of famine food events was less frequently in Gansu,Jiangxi,Hunan,Fujian,Guangdong,Guangxi,Sichuan,Guizhou,Yunnan;(7)In terms of county-level distribution,the county with the least number of food for famine relief incidents occured only once,and the county with the most number of incidents was Tongshan County,Jiangsu Province,with18 times.The third part combs the types of food for famine relief and the spatial distribution of typical food for famine relief in Ming and Qing Dynasties.The main kinds of food for famine relief are plants,animals and earth minerals.The characteristics of plant food for famine relief are as follows: obvious historical heritage,significantly more species than those of the previous generation,and some plants are toxic;animal-based food for famine relief have the characteristics of easily infecting victims;earth and mineral food for famine relief is easy to cause victims to get sick;earth and mineral food for famine relief has complex species and confused names.As far as the spatial distribution of typical food for famine relief is concerned,since ancient times,the victims used bamboo,elm,aquatic plants,fish,shrimp,snails,six livestock,rat and soil mine;the records of disaster victims using fern and pueraria to save famine are in the South;the records of disaster victims using locust to save famine are in the north.The fourth part divides the geographical division on the food for famine relief in Ming and Qing dynasties.Based on the characteristics of spatial distribution and similarity of food event for famine relief and the spatial distribution of ten typical food for famine relief,this paper divides the food for famine relief geographical regions of Ming and Qing Dynasties into four regions: the northern vegetation relief area,the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River,the wild fruits and vegetables in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the South China.In northern China,the main food for famine relief is herbaceous and woody plants.The "vegetation" in this paper highly summarizes these plants;in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River,the main food for famine relief of the disaster victims includes soil minerals,various herbs and woody plants,which evokes the deep memory of the disaster victims.In the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and South China,wild fruits and vegetables are the main food for disaster relief,and there are differences in the species of wild fruits and vegetables between the two regions,such as in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and southern China.There are differences in the species of wild fruits and vegetables between the two places.For example,in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River,there are mainly ferns,zheergen,wormwood,etc.,while in South China,there are Smilax glabra,ferns,etc.The fifth part expounds the natural environment and human social factors that affect the geographical division of food for famine relief.In terms of natural environmental factors,due to the spatial differences of natural disasters,the regional differences of food for famine relief are formed,and the distribution differences of animal and plant mineral resources affect the types of food for famine relief available to the regional population;in terms of human and social factors,the affected population affects the types of food acceptable to the victims.The diet policy in disaster years promotes people’s choice of food for famine relief,and the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine greatly affects the renewal and application of food knowledge for famine relief in some regions.The sixth part is the conclusion.This part deeply discusses the restoration path of the food geographic area,the regional differences between the food geographical area and the disaster victims’ dietary life,and the leading factors and important influencing factors of the formation of the famine-relief food regional differences.