A Preliminary Study On The Theme Of Environmental History In

Rising in1960s and1970s, the Environmental history research first appears in America driven by Environmentalism Movement, and later it spreads to European countries. After the reform and opening up, Environmental history research is introduced to China. In recent years, the environmental history research in our country is growing vigorously. Due to its multidisciplinary research concept, researchers of various disciplines show special preference to the Environmental history research and achieve fruitful related research results. However, the research on the environmental history of Xixia is seldom involved. Therefore the research on the environmental history of Xixia is carried out based on the existing achievements of Xixia history.This thesis is designed to explore the interaction between the people of Xixia and their living environment under the northwestern arid and semi-arid environmental background. This theis, from aspects of stockbreeding, agriculture, wild animals&plants and natural disaster, explores and analyses the interaction ways and processes of Xixia people with their complex natural environment in order to survive to figure out how the people of Xixia ackonwlage,adapt to and take advantage of the nature environment and how they coexist with natural environmetn.The first Chapter sketches the historical development and living environment of the Dangxiang nation. The complex living environment of the Dangxiang nation is clearly described, which mainly includes desert, grassland, plateaus, mountains, plains and other types. Aridity and seasonal environment draws frequently natural disaster to Xixia, seriously affectting the livelihood of the Dangxiang people. Meanwhile, wars, as an effective means for the Dangxiang nation to fight for regional resources, results in a restless social environment.Chapter two, with the topic of stockbreeding, discusses two basic factors affecting development of Xixia stockbreeding-water and grass. In terms of grass, the forage is abundant in summer and autumn, but scarce in spring and winter. Imposing forage by the government and collecting and storing in advance by the herdsman are the key for them to solve this problem. In terms of water, livestock could drink nearby surface water (such as from river, spring, etc.) if surface water is sufficient. On the contrary, in area where the surface water is inadquate, drinking water for livestock mainly comes from well water. Besides, drinking water and forage for livestock are strictly administrated by Xixia government. Therefore, herdsman’s aborative care under the government supervision is the way for Xixia people to deal with forage and water problem.Agriculture is the topical subject of Chapter three, which includes three parts. Firstly, due to the particularity of environment, the development of Xixia agriculture mainly relies on the usage of water resource. In the process of utilization of water resource, a method of government-leading and public participation is adopted, which is manifested in the government makes related laws and organises people to build irrigation works. Specifically, the preparation for channelization, detailed channelization process, well-ordered irrigation management, and strict laws and regulations about environment protection of water channel and irrigation disputes are included. Secondly, there exist differences in the choices of crops, planting process and farmland management in different agricultural districts with different geomorphic features. Thirdly, Xixia government made laws and regulations on the condition that farmland is damaged because of broken ditch in irriagating.Chapter four mainly discusses about wild plant. All kinds of wild plants growing in spring, summer, autumn and winter plays a role in Xixia’s people life in two aspects: when in normal period, namely, in no disaster year or less-war year, the wild plants, as a "supporting role" of staple crops such as rice and wheat, apear as vagetable in common people’s daily life; when in unnormal period with insufficient staple crops resulting from frenquent-war, or natural disaster, the wild plants could even be "staple role" to maintain common people’s life. Besides, from the nutriology perspective, the wild plants collected by Xixia people all have effects of both food and herbal medicine, which could provide all kinds of nurtrition for people.Chapter five focuses on wild animal, studying the ecological environment of Xixia based on animal species and their living condition in historical materials. We see that wild animals and Xixia people depend on each other. Specifically, Xixia people get animals (the aquatic, land and birds included) by hunting and fur, bones and meat of animals are applied in people’s daily life. Some wild animals often go around in human communities and co-exist with human beings. As a result, Xixia people’s body language, behavioral patterns and daily life are associated with them so as to get some hints (on weather and time prediction for example). Meanwhile, some wild animals are protected by law in Xixia.Chapter six mainly talks about natural disaster. When natural disaster occurs, the pillar industray of Xixia people, such as agricluture and stockbreeding, all will be affected and the society will be in choas. To deal with this problem, Xixia government activly organizes relief within and outside of the nation, using various social forces to relief. When severe famine occurs, there will be some idiopathic means of livelihood, such as robbing food, exchanging grain in border, selling their daugters for surviving, immigrants, etc. Although these means go against social stability, they have no choice.