| During the Shang dynasty period, central China was warm and humid compared with nowadays. The natural resources such as water, animals, plants, etc were rich. The natural environment then was advantageous to the agriculture production in general. At the same time we should note that the people at that time were faced with such a situation that there was vast land with few people but many beasts and people cannot afford the threat of the beasts. The struggle between the people and the nature was much fierce compared with nowadays. During the Shang dynasty, people attach much importance to agriculture and people often adopted the collective work in agriculture, which without doubt will benefit developing farmland and constructing river facilities and then improve their ability to withstand the natural disaster. Bronze tools were rare used in agriculture in Shang dynasty. But the superior performance they demonstrated produced some positive meaning to the agricultural production.Broomcorn was often seen in oracle. It was one of the main crops in central China in the Shang period. The Shang people attached much importance to it, which is the result of historical factors, the nature of broomcorn and the custom of the Shang people. During the Shang period the people in central China had a suit of mature planting skills in sowing, fertilizing of reaping of broomcorn. There was heavy broomcorn culture in central china in Shang period. The findings in central China show that wheat began to exist as crop in late period of late Neolithic period. The area of wheat is not large but the production amount is high. The planting of wheat promoted the agriculture of Shang period and laid base for its politics, economy and culture. Broomcorn is the main crop in Shang period. Bean was also one of the main crops in Shang period. Oracle records show that Shang people paid much attention to the planting and reaping season of broomcorn and wheat. Even king of Shang dynasty participated in production of crop.Documents show that rice had been planted in central China in Shang period.The character ofbroomcorn(黍)shall be interpreted as rice as it is more reasonable.The king of Shang dynasty participated in administration of rice.And the people in Shang period had grasped rice planting skills.The character of in the sentence of(二月父)in Heji 24440 shall be corrected as(),which in nowadays means(枲).The sentence shall be interpreted as reaping xi in February.Documents show hemp is the source of cloth and food of the people in Shang period.And the reaping tool is axe.All evidence show that(二月父)in fact is(二月斧枲).Heji 24440 adopted calendar of Shang dynasty,which is part of monthly calendar of Shang dynasty and which is meaningful to the calendar,farming season and planting skills in Shang period.During the Shang dynasty period crop category composition was reasonable. During which there was millet and broomcorn which was tolerant to drought and had steady low production, wheat which has high production but requires high cultivation techniques, as well as rice which has high product ion but requires good water environment. In addition there were potato which was abundant in protein as well as marijuana which was abundant in oil, the locust don ’t eat and the fiber can be used as cloth material. There were various and reasonable crop categories in Shang dynasty, which makes the status of agriculture quite stable in the national economy. Judging from stationary point, it is not fabulous compared with present agriculture in central China. But with a dynamic view, especially considering th e transition of crop category from the primitive society to Xia dynasty and to Shang dynasty, we will understand the superiority of the crop composition and then understand why Shang dynasty can create so splendid bronze civilization.Ancestors of our country had learned the farming seasons long. In the Shang period, the farming season concept had become quite perfect. Every section of the agriculture production, such as farming opening, plowing, sowing, fertilizing, pest controlling, reaping, storing, etc has a specified time. In a calendar year, people in Shang period had busy farming and leisure farming seasons. In Shang period, the farming of broomcorn, wheat, rice and bean had important connection with farming seasons. The management was focused on three stages of plowing, sowing and reaping, which was equivalent to the spring, summer and fall of nowadays. And it was consistent with traditional agriculture arrangement of our country and can be regarded as beginning of the tradition. In Shang period farming affairs has close relation with Shang calendar. Before Shang dynasty, there was Xiaxiaozheng in Xia dynasty, later, Binfeng-July in West Zhou dynasty. Shi’erji in Warring states period, Shize in West Han dynasty and Siminyueling in East Han dynasty. These calendars are reflected in detailed farming affairs. With the reference of records in Shang period of “eating wheat in the 1st month”, “Reaping Xi in the 2nd month”, it is speculated that in Shang dynasty there may existed monthly calendar and in which corresponding farming affairs shall be included.During the beginning years of Shang dynasty, drought often broke out, which shall has close connection to warm-cold fluctuation. Records of drought disasters recorded in oracle from Wujing to Zugeng, Zejia period were unique and can fill the vacancy of historical documents. The rain praying manner in Shang period was quite unique as it often adopted burning person to pray. Records in oracle and other documents show that the drought in late period of Shang dynasty was strong and led to locust disaster, sand storm and drying out of river. The droughts in Shang period not only affected the daily life and production of the people, but also affected the historical progress. In the beginning of Shang period, the droughts accelerated the death of Xia dynasty, provided opportunity for the establishment of Shang dynasty, stimulated the innovation of agriculture techniques such as Qutian method and promoted the well-digging skill and river construction. The droughts in late period of Shang dynasty directly led to the death of Shang dynasty and the rise of Zhou.Locust had brought significant impact to the agriculture. In Shang period the natural environment in central China was the hotbed for locust disaster. In history there were many locust disasters in central China. There were many locust disaster records in oracle in Shang period, which can fill the vacancy of historical records. The records of locust disaster in oracle show that there were three locust disasters each year in central China, which is similar to that in Changjiang river area. People in Shang period had learned some knowledge between locust disaster and drought/raining and they chose to plant corresponding crop to prevent against locust disaster. When locust disaster occurred, people in Shang period pray to God as well as used smoke to drive off locust.Flood disasters had been recorded in Oracle in Shang period and these records had left the concrete proof of the harm brought by the floods. The people in Shang period prayed to God for raining and blessing and in addition they adopted other measures such as living at highland which near the river but will not be flooded as well as digging channels in farmland. In Shang period, beasts were dangerous threats to the agricultural production and people often hunted to eliminate the threat. |
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