Research On The Policies Of Cultivating Cattle In The Song Dynasty

Cattle farming is one of the most important means of production and means of livelihood in the agricultural society.In the Song Dynasty,it has replaced manpower in agricultural production in a large scale.In the Song Dynasty,the government issued a series of policies related to cattle farming to ensure agricultural development and maintain social stability.The Song Dynasty was a peak period for the development of ancient Chinese cattle farming.The main types of cattle in the Song Dynasty were water buffalo,yellow cattle,yaks,and other types of cattle.The main objects of cattle farming were water buffalo and yellow cattle.The ruling class and grassroots people of the Song Dynasty attached great importance to the development of the cattle farming industry,considering cattle as an indispensable agricultural production force and a part of normal small-scale peasant families.The image of cattle is often seen in Song poetry and paintings.Cattle were widely distributed within the territory of the Song Dynasty,with areas dominated by yellow cattle occupying the northern border area,while areas dominated by water buffalo occupying the non border area in the south.The remaining southern border area and the vast central region were areas where both water buffalo and yellow cattle were abundant.Faced with the booming development of the cattle farming industry,the Song court established a series of management agencies for cattle,such as the Driving Department,the Cow and Sheep Department,and the Group Pastoral Department.They also formulated a series of management policies for cattle,registered their cattle registration,branded their herds,and improved their breeding level and reproductive ability.In response to the bovine epidemic,the Song court also issued corresponding laws,established medical institutions,and attached great importance to the training of cattle doctors.The development of cattle farming trade in the Song Dynasty was also very rapid,with its market size gradually expanding,the trade distance shifting towards long-distance,and a high level of market participation.In terms of the management of cattle trade,the Song Dynasty adopted encouraging measures for cattle trade within the region,striving to contract trade,but there were many restrictions on overseas cattle trade.The standardization and reduction of cattle taxes were a common phenomenon in the Song Dynasty.Although they solved the problem of some farmers lacking cattle to some extent,due to the negligence of local officials and the constraints of the governance environment,they did not achieve the desired effect.The Song court protected the cattle as an important means of production by means of legislation,and issued a series of laws prohibiting killing and injuring cattle.From the perspective of precedents,laws related to the protection of cattle have also been conscientiously implemented by some local officials.Some local officials have also issued persuasion articles and protected cattle by maintaining a culture of protecting cattle,indicating the Song Dynasty government’s top-down attitude towards protecting cattle.Although the policy of protecting cattle in the Song Dynasty gradually became standardized,a series of factors such as frequent official rewards of cow wine by the Song court,mature beef markets among the people in the Song Dynasty,and the normalization of the collection of military cattle products caused the policy of protecting cattle in the Song Dynasty to fall into practical difficulties.Long term external military pressure also caused fluctuations in the policy of protecting cattle in the Song Dynasty.Due to reasons such as famine and war,the supply of cattle in the Song Dynasty was relatively scarce.Therefore,the Song government was very concerned about the issue of cattle support in agricultural production.The Song court supported cattle farmers through a series of methods,such as lending to farmers to purchase cattle,reducing cattle taxes,and prohibiting the use of cattle to offset debts.At the same time,the Song court also strictly legislated and provided support for special groups such as returnees,border soldiers,and displaced people to cultivate cattle,striving to popularize the use of cattle among cattle farmers and achieve the goal of "cultivating cattle".On the basis of previous research results,this article organizes and analyzes existing literature,historical materials,and archaeological achievements.From both horizontal and vertical perspectives,it systematically analyzes and comprehensively organizes the content and characteristics of the Song Dynasty’s cattle farming policy,filling the gap in previous research to a certain extent,and further clarifies the impact of the cattle farming policy on agricultural production and social development in the Song Dynasty,It has played a certain role in promoting the research of agricultural history in the Song Dynasty.