The Research On The Cultivation And Utilization On The Ma-Crops In Dunhuang From Tang Dynasty To Early Song Dynasty

The Ma-Crops was closely bound up with the life of ancient people in Dunhuang . However , up to now the achievements about them have frequently been an assistance subsidiary of the history of textile . So the Ma-Crops' important position have not been given an objective and appropriate evaluation . In this article , combined the unearthed documents in Dunhuang and the surrounding area and some traditional historical records , the author would analyze the cultivation and utilization on the Ma-Crops of Dunhuang from Tang Dynasty to early Song Dynasty , which is mainly composed of four sections , the generalisation of the cultivation and utilization on the Ma-Crops in ancient Dunhuang , the category , area and per mu yield(亩产量)in given period , the utilization on the fibre and products and the Ma-seed(麻籽)and the Ma-oil(麻油), and the price ratios between the Ma-Crops and the copper cash(铜钱)and wheat .First , the cultivation and utilization in ancient Dunhuang are generalized , so that we understand more thoroughly the special of the Ma-Crops in that time .Second , from Tang Dynasty to early Song Dynasty , the category of the Ma-Crops contains Huangma(黄麻),Youma(油麻),Ma-seed(麻子),and Ma-oil(麻油). The area of them was about one third of all the cultivated land , and the per mu yield was estimated 15 Jin(唐斤).Third , concerning the utilization on the Ma-Crops , either the fibre and products or the Ma-seed and Ma-oil could be served as paying taxes , giving in charity for temples , contributing and acting as equivalent . Meanwhile , the former was also used as condolences cloth , Buddhist device and papermaking , and the latter as religion offerings , lighting , eating and medicaments . The utilization ratio was fairly high .Forth , the price ratio between the fibre and products and the copper cash and the wheat looked different in different period . While with limited documents , the Ma-seed and the Ma-oil can not be analyzed in concrete time , but generalized .On the whole , from Tang Dynasty to early Song Dynasty in Dunhuang , the category of the Ma-Crops was various , the area of cultivating them vast and the scale of being utilized wide . The price ratios between the Ma-Crops and the other equivalent changed as well as the contemporary circumstances . Through the article , we could be more deeply informed that the Ma-Crops in Dunhuan had extensive and profound influence on the life of people from Tang Dynasty to early Song Dynasty...