"farmers Into Fish Retreat" : Poyanghuou Economic, Ecological And Social Change Since The Ming And Qing Dynasties

Fishery is the traditional industry of PoYang Lake District. Developed fishery economy broughtmodern factors to the area, led to the formation of the regional center town, improved the local socialpolitical status, promoted the development of regional cultural education and socialundertakings.During traditional period, ecological impacts of reclamation in PoYang Lake region,which greatly promoted the development of agriculture and made the food production increase greatly,are coordinating and controllable. Jiangxi, along with Hubei and Hunan, which achieved “Huguanggrain bumper harvest, the world is sufficient”, composed the biggest commodity grain production baseof China in Ming and Qing dynasties.In Ming and Qing dynasty, two big industries in PoYang Lakeregion, fishery and agriculture, which supplemented each other, made the area of PoYang Lakenicknamed “a land of milk and honey”.The second half of the20th century, there is1210km2area reclaimed from PoYangLake,which accounts for about the sum of reclamation area for more than500years,from Mingand Qing dynasty period to the Republic of China. Reclamation shrunk nearly a quarter of acreageof PoYang Lake.With the shrinking of fishery and the expanding of agriculture increasingly,agricultrue enforced its main body status. The appearance of “agriculture developing and fisheryshrinking” emerged, which induced the frequently occur of flood and drought, worsened theecological environment of lake district and reduced the biodiversity in lake region.Of course,“agriculture developing and fishery shrinking”also has its positive ecological effects. Because itcan improve the agricultural ecology in lake region, contain schistosomiasis as well.The lakeregion not only realized the self-sufficiency of grain, but also provided a lot of commodity grainproduction for country. Natural conditions good for reclamation, population growth, system and policy,promoted the continuous development of reclamation and “agriculture developing and fIsheryshrinking”in PoYang Lake. The fishery economy transformed and fishing village turned intoagricultural village.Fishermen transformed into the peasants, who had the relative stable income andsocial security. And the cultural quality of people had been improved generally.“Agriculturedeveloping and fishery shrinking” drove the change of social contradictions，fishery fights,, grassisland dispute and water case has obvious stage characteristics.It has the adjustment function in theaspect of social order in PoYang Lake District. During this process, the government moved towardscenter from marginal gradually.Both agriculture and fishery are the methods of human existence,which also have the value ofexistence. So no one superior to the other.Based on the harmonious relationship among nature, man andsociety, each have its share.It is the rationality of “degree”.“Agriculture developing and fisheryshrinking”,which beyond the “degree”,should be punished by nature basically, which caused thescientific problem about the relationship between man and nature. After liberation, there are manyunscientific ideas and wrong policies, lead to ecological imbalance,such as “man’s determination willconquer nature”,“The more people, the more powerful”,etc. It is the lessons taken from “agriculturedeveloping and fishery shrinking”. The evolution of ecological environment often make personexclaim“the sea turned into a mulberry field”. The unreasonable developing worsened ecologicalenvironment, which is the common home of human beings,conflicts of interest did not get reasonableadjust,further deterioration of the ecological environment,and it is too heavy beyond human can bear.Unless such appearance can be avoided, human being won’t be on the road of sustainable development.