The Study Of Sichuan Rural Peasants’ Living State In The North And South Song Dynasty

This thesis mainly studies the material and spiritual life of Sichuan rural peasants in the Song Dynasty, who were divided into five households according to the household division system. In this article, the author regards the first and second household as the superior class, and the third, fourth and fifth as the middle and inferior class. While those peasants without lands were proletarian, who were also an indispensable part of rural population.The superior households kept property and increased their wealth mainly by charging tax of the leasing land, also by loans, annexation of land, buying and selling grain and other commercial activities. While the middle and inferior rural peasants could only rely on their own lands or the rented land to maintain the survival of a family; or plant tea, melons and fruits to increase their income; besides, they would be hired to work for the superior households in the slack season. For the proletarians who did not have land to rely on to survive, also nominally needed not bear the national tax, they made a living by renting the land of the superior households or by making handicrafts for the employers, but they actually suffered the repression from landlord or "second landlord". Due to the special geographical environment and terrain characteristics, there is a huge gap on the level of economic development among several districts in Sichuan province.Tax is the foundation of the nation, and the country is an important source of revenue. On the basis of rural households, superior households bore a relatively heavy tax; although proletarians families did not have to pay a state tax, they had to pay the rents, which usually accounted half of their income. In addition, they had the labor burden. The impacts of labor change uncertainty on them were almost immediate, especially evident in the impacts of irrigation works and the war, while the impacts on superior households were little. On the one hand, the building of the irrigation works made the rural working people assume a certain labor burden; on the other hand, it laid the foundation for food crops and production. The war cost lots of material resources and financial resources, adding the burden of Sichuan rural peasants. The spending on food, clothing, shelter and farm tools was also a big cost for the peasants in general.The culture of Song Dynasty plays an important role in history. It is the rural culture and education that feeds this historical phenomenon. However, due to the influence of previous history and the relatively closed geographical environment, there were multiple beliefs in orthodox religion, folklore and witchcraft. The peasants’folk entertainment activities were rich and colorful. In brief, under the relatively stable condition of society, the rural peasants of Sichuan in Song Dynasty were spiritually positive towards life.