The Study On The Agricultural Development In Upper Capital And Central Capital In Liao Dynasty

The Agriculture always plays a key role in the economic evolution in history, especially in the ancient history of China. As a dynasty founded by the Qi Dan Nationality, the governors of Liao Dynasty made good progress in the agricultural development as well as maintaining the traditional animal husbandry. This dissertation would make a detailed study on the agricultural development in the regions around the Upper and Central Capital in Liao Dynasty, and make a comparison between the two regions and finally draw a conclusive opinion on the main features of the agriculture of Liao Dynasty, with the line of development as the clue and the time as the trace, and the historical texts as well as the present scholarly achievements as the supporting texts.The introduction discussed about the significance, scholarly achievements and clue of thoughts of study of the agricultural development in the regions around the Upper and Central Capital, as a preparation of the whole dissertation.The main body is consisted by five sections, which made a synthesized study on the agricultural development in the regions around the Upper and Central Capital.The first section introduced the development of the agriculture of Qi Dan Nationality from the Middle Tang Dynasty to the time of Liao Jing Zong, when the agriculture had prospered into mass production from the original simple farming. A Bao Ji's built cities of Han Nationality and marked the beginning of mass agriculture in the great prairie. After the establishment of Liao Dynasty, the rulers of Liao noticed the importance of Upper Capital and put much attention in the fields suitable for agriculture, and procured very good harvest. The mita also began in this time in order to enhance the defense on northwestern borders and alleviate the pressure of security, which became a good tradition to the posterities of Liao.The second section mainly analyzed the agriculture from the Liao Sheng Zong to the end of Liao Dynasty. During this era, wars are rare and offered good opportunity for the agriculture. Hence the agriculture in Upper Capital had further developed, including the expansion of mita in the northwestern territories and in the districts and counties in Upper Capital. However, because the emperors put more attention to the economy of Central Capital, so the Upper Capital had yet declined.The third section introduced the early exploit of the Xi Nationality in the Central Capital. After successive migration, the people of Xi Nationality who were originally familiar with agriculture had extended the agronomy through the whole central regions. But limited by historical materials, the discuss can not go so far. Through the analysis on the Monument on the Marital Affairs of the Great King, made an introduction on the living standards of the societies of the Xi Nationality in early Liao Dynasty and reflected the development of agriculture of that time.The fourth section studied the focus and management of agriculture in Central Capital by the governors of Liao. With the efforts of the governors and the people of all nationalities of Liao, the agriculture in Central Capital made good progress, which founded a good basis for the transfer of the economic center to the Central Capital from the Upper Capital.The fifth section drew a conclusion on the features of the development and the detailed characteristics of agriculture in the Upper and Central Capital in Liao Dynasty.