At the end of the Ming dynasty, people were right? Full? Suffer more thinking and anxiety. Writer Feng Menglong said: If every couple always gives birth to a man and a woman, there will never be any increase or decrease, which can last for a long time; If two boys and two girls are born, each generation will double, only increasing. How do we feed them?
▲ China traditional era? How blessed are children? Our view of population is compatible with the ancient small-scale peasant economy. Portrait bricks from the Han Dynasty? Take a harvest map? In this paper, we can see some distinctive features of agricultural civilization based on small-scale peasant economy in China traditional society.
Population view is population thought, which generally refers to people's understanding or views on population phenomenon. Where there is a human society, there will be a population view. China's traditional view of population is adapted to the small-scale peasant economy, which was formed in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and influenced China for more than two thousand years, and still plays a role to some extent. Studying the development and change of China's traditional population view is of practical significance for us to correctly understand China's population policy today.
●? Hua Fengsan has many blessings, long life and many men? , can be traced back to the legendary Tang Yao era, reflecting the ancient people's desire to have more children and grandchildren.
During the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, China's traditional concept of population began to sprout. Historical books and archaeological excavations show that collective labor in the fields was dominant at that time. From the perspective of human reproduction (that is, the reproduction of species), monogamy centered on male parents has been established in three generations. Archaeological excavations in this period can be judged as the tombs of adult men and women in the relationship between husband and wife. The most common burial method is that men are buried with their backs straight, and women are buried with their limbs bent sideways, facing men, which shows that men begin to occupy a dominant position and women are relegated to a subordinate and enslaved position. Three generations of marriage are supplemented by concubines. The practice of Yin Shang Dynasty was monogamy supplemented by concubinage. From the Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period, princes could still marry many times, and many of them were dowry.
In the traditional era of China, more men were born, that is? Tian Li? Best wishes. This wish can be traced back to the legendary era of Tang Yao. Zhuangzi? In the article Heaven and Earth, there is a dialogue between China Seals (border guards) and Yao. He wishes Yao a long life, wealth and many boys. This reflects a social consciousness that people prayed for more children and grandchildren at that time. ? Huafeng Zhu San? After being perfunctory? Three blessings, many lives and many men? , and profoundly affected the fertility will of later generations.
● During the Spring and Autumn Period, in order to expand their armaments and enhance their strength, the vassal states encouraged childbearing by administrative means; After the population prospered, Confucius? Don't teach in class Our educational ideas are valued.
The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period is a great change in the history of China, and it is also the formation period of China's traditional population view. Great changes have taken place in China society from the economic base to the superstructure. In the traditional era, people's means of subsistence are mainly? Food? And then what? Clothes? . Because of the iron and Niu Geng, the grain production in farmland no longer needs to be as laborious as before, but can be realized by? A man plows the land? ; Mulberry was still a field crop in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but it was also planted in front of the house in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Woman's silkworm? . The family of individual farmers, composed of cowherd and weaver girl, stepped onto the historical stage of China and became the basic unit of production and life in the traditional era of China.
Small-scale peasant families with two functions of population reproduction and means of subsistence reproduction began to play a role in the hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period. In order to expand their armaments and enhance their strength, vassal States forced early marriage and encouraged childbearing by administrative means. Qi Huangong, the first monarch in the Spring and Autumn Period, once ordered that husbands get married at the age of 20 and women get married at the age of 15. ? At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, was defeated in the war with the State of Wu, and also ordered early marriage to reward childbearing. Some thinkers at that time, such as Mozi, who lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period, thought that only people were the most difficult to reproduce in the world. If you want to increase the population as soon as possible, only through early marriage and early childbearing.
After the goal of large population is realized, there are still social, economic, cultural and educational pursuits. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius visited Weiguo (now Puyang, Henan Province) and found that the population there was prosperous. Student Ran asked him what to do after the population increased. Confucius replied:? Make them rich. ? You Ran asked him what he would do when he became rich. Confucius said:? Teach them. ? ("The Analects? Confucius himself was fortunate to be the first person in the history of China to open a private school and achieve great success. He widely recruits students for the society and advocates? Don't teach in class . This makes the education that was originally only available to a few nobles begin to become the cause of civilians in cloth. As an educator, Confucius' views on wealth and population surge are different from those of rulers who are eager for quick success and instant benefit. He said:? I've heard that both princes and doctors don't have to worry about less wealth, but only about uneven wealth; Don't worry about too few people, just worry about national unrest. If wealth is average, there is no poverty; Peaceful reunification within the territory will not make people feel less; If the territory is peaceful, there will be no danger. In this way, people far away will not submit, so they learn the politics of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and music to attract them. We must appease them when they come. ? ("The Analects? Ji's article)
● The mainstream population thought in the Warring States Period can be roughly summarized as? A vast territory and a large population? ; Mencius? There are three kinds of unfilial, and no queen is the biggest? Thought has profoundly influenced people's views on marriage and childbirth in later generations.
During the Warring States Period, the population of China had an unprecedented growth. Corresponding to it is strict household registration management, especially known as? On the plan? During this period, the statistical system began to take shape. The mainstream population thought in the Warring States period can be roughly summarized as right? A vast territory and a large population? The pursuit of. Some politicians and thinkers put forward? Lai Min? In order to strengthen the competition for human resources, Shang Yang of Qin State is the most prominent. Shang Yang proposed: What is the name of a small place with many people? People won their land? Must reclaim wasteland; What is the name of a vast place with few people? Land is better than people? , must attract the population. "Pipe" proposed? Saman? Proposition: owning vast land without developing it is called? Tuman? ; What's the name of a large population that can't be managed? Full? ; There is a powerful armed, don't know how to stop, the so-called? Wu Man? . If you let it go? Saman? If this situation continues, the country will not be a country. This is the afterlife? Full? The source of the theory.
During the Warring States period, on the one hand, the great powers fought for cities and land, killing people to build cities; On the other hand, the demise of ancient clan feudalism? A large number of countries were destroyed and countless families were killed. The reality of social upheaval makes people realize that whether they are gentlemen or villains, their charm will be cut off for up to five generations. Mencius proposed it? There are three kinds of unfilial, and no queen is the biggest? , reflecting whether people at that time had families? After that? That is, whether there are male offspring is a concern. In Mencius' view, everything? Filial piety? Behavior should be based on reproduction and having more children; Starting from the premise of never leaving, getting married in private has become beyond reproach. His thought profoundly influenced people's views on marriage and childbirth in later generations.
● In the population view of Han Dynasty, Jia Yi's? People-oriented? His thoughts are extremely outstanding, and his conclusion is: Who are the people? Eternal foundation? Never ignore bullying.
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, China has entered the development period of successive replacement of the unified dynasty, and the traditional population view formed in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period has also undergone some new developments and changes in this long historical period.
In the population view of Han Dynasty, Jia Yi's? People-oriented? The thought is extremely prominent. Jia Yi lived in the period of Emperor Wen, less than 40 years before Han Xing, and he still remembers the lessons of Qin's death. He shouted:? Don't forget the past, the teacher of the future? (Don't forget the past experience and lessons as a reference for future actions), and wrote political articles such as Guo Qin. He tried to advocate? People-oriented? Thought, pointing out: although the people are humble, they should not be neglected, and although the people are stupid, they should not be bullied. Throughout the ages, whoever is the enemy of the people will eventually defeat him sooner or later. His conclusion is: Who are the people? Eternal foundation? Never ignore bullying.
In the society, there were also some books on health preservation and treatment and on people's physical quality in the Han Dynasty. Huangdi Neijing, which was finally written in the Qin and Han Dynasties, comprehensively and systematically discussed the growth and development of human beings and the mechanism of diseases, and it is a classic of China traditional medicine. Jia Yi even included an article on prenatal education in her new book, explaining the significance of congenital education of pregnant mothers to their children through her own behavior. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, some people openly questioned the custom of early marriage. Wang Ji, an admonition officer in Xuan Di, thinks that husband and wife are the outline of interpersonal relationship, and the life span of people is also determined by this. Secular marriage is too early, children are born when parents don't know how to be parents, and education and influence are unknown, so people often die young.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xun Yue proposed? People are few and easy to use, but things are easy to live in a vast territory? Thought; In the early Tang dynasty, Wang Fanzhi urged to have fewer children and raise fewer children, just in case? Full? suffer from
Xun Yue lived in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and personally experienced the turmoil of the Yellow turban insurrectionary uprising and the post-war depression, thus concluding that? Ancient people flourished, but now there are fewer people? In my mind. But he thinks: fewer people are also good, because? People are few and easy to use, but things are easy to live in a vast territory? . Yan Zhitui, who worked in Nanliang, Beiqi, Beizhou and Sui Dynasties, told his children the truth of establishing a family, managing a family and dealing with the world with his own personal experience in the book Family Instructions of Yan Family written in the early years of Sui Dynasty. He deeply understands the influence of the difference in natural conditions between the north and the south on people's quality, and thinks? People in Kyushu speak different languages? It is necessary to standardize pronunciation and orthography, which is conducive to the unified exchange of ideas throughout the country. He advocates the practice of prenatal education, and if there are no conditions, at least it should be taught from infancy. He was opposed to drowning baby girls, but he didn't like that women in the Northern Dynasties were not bound by their behavior at that time, and even made friends with the government. He advocates that women can only do housework, but not keep house and participate in social activities. Yan Jiaxun is regarded as a model of traditional family instruction, which has a great influence on later generations.
In the early Tang Dynasty, Fu Yi was ordered by the former Taishi, right? how much is it? Temple monks and nuns? Mobile games to eat, easy to serve and escape rent? I hate it, and I advocate that these monks and nuns get married in a secular way, so that the country has hundreds of thousands of families at once? Have a boy and a girl? This is not only conducive to the spread of population, but also conducive to the expansion of the imperial army. Wang Fanzhi, another person in the early Tang Dynasty, thought that if population growth was left unchecked, it would cause? Full? So I strongly advocate having fewer children and raising fewer children. In the early Tang Dynasty, when the population level was still very low, Wang Fanzhi's view was really very? Alternative? Yes
Educator and thinker Li Gou agreed that the Song Dynasty attached importance to strengthening population management? Limited field? And ask for a ban on those? Extra? In particular, monks and nuns are forbidden to become monks.
Baojia system, as a compensation for population management, rose in Song Dynasty and gradually developed and improved. From the perspective of demography, the development of adulthood from the average of men and women to men, and the evolution of adult statistics from the average of men and women to only counting men also began in the Song Dynasty. Li Gou, an educator and thinker in the Northern Song Dynasty, thought: Beyond the Four People? Extra? That is, the existence of a large number of unemployed or engaged in improper occupations and excessive industrial and commercial population has caused difficulties for the livelihood of civilians; The reason is land annexation. So, he agreed? Limited field? And ask for a ban on those? Extra? In particular, monks and nuns are forbidden to become monks.
It is worth noting that since the Song Dynasty, the age of marriage has been on the rise compared with the previous generation. In the Northern Song Dynasty, according to the order of Tang Kaiyuan, were there any regulations? The man is fifteen and the woman is thirteen. Listen to marriage? ; By the time of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty, it had been changed to sixteen for men and fourteen for women. The actual age of marriage is about 20 for men and 15- 19 for women.
● At the end of the Ming Dynasty, were people right? Full? Suffer more thinking and anxiety; Qing dynasty, traditional era? How blessed are children? Ideas have been subverted.
At the end of the Ming dynasty, people were right? Full? Suffer more thinking and anxiety. Writer Feng Menglong said: If every couple always gives birth to a man and a woman, there will never be any increase or decrease, which can last for a long time; If two boys and two girls are born, each generation will double, only increasing. How do we feed them? Xu Guangqi, a scientist, drew a conclusion according to the growth of the aristocratic population of the imperial clan: there were many people in ancient times, but few people in the later world. The population growth rate doubles about every 30 years. If there is no big war, it will never decrease.
At the end of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong, who was over eighty years old, expressed his concern about the excessive population growth in an imperial edict: the country was blessed with peace for more than a hundred years, but its population was more than ten times than before. 10 More than one person can't produce enough food as before. In addition, the land occupied by Lushe is also growing exponentially, with fewer and fewer people engaged in production and more and more people consuming food, which is closely related to the livelihood of the people. If the years are good, food is wasted at will, people's feelings are lazy, and the fields are barren, there will inevitably be a day when there is not enough food to eat and the economy is in distress. I'm worried about this!
Hong, a well-known political commentator and writer, also clearly warned of the harm brought by population growth: after a long period of leveling, people have to be born, and the resources used by heaven and earth to support people are limited; Peace for a long time, the country can't help but let life, and the means that * * * can take for the people are also limited. A place where one person lives is not enough for ten people, let alone hundreds! It is not enough for one person to eat the food of ten people, not to mention the food of one hundred people!
Gong Zizhen and Wei Yuan, who were active in Daoguang period, were interested in China? There are more and more teeth and the weather is getting narrower and narrower? Extremely anxious, very sensitive to possible great turmoil. Except? General? In addition to such ancient ideas, they also advocate the existence of a large number of societies? Not a scholar, not a farmer, not a worker, not a businessman? Voluntary or compulsory relocation of idle population.
Wang Shiduo, a scholar who witnessed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's occupation of Nanjing, directly blamed China for the outbreak of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution? Many people? And put forward a series of measures to reduce population beyond or even contrary to rationality. His central argument is:? The reason for the chaos: there are many people (there are many women, so there are many people). Many people are poor, ie there is not enough land to feed them. ? Because? There are many women in the world, why is there chaos in the world? Among the measures he proposed to reduce the population, except? Mob? In addition to the massacre policy, it is more targeted at women, such as promoting the law of drowning women, giving cold medicine for abortion, strictly remarrying, and establishing a virginity home. China's traditional view of population was subverted, and finally changed from? Many people are bliss? Arrive? Many people are poor? Change.
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Source: Jiang Tao, the author of Beijing Daily, is a researcher at the Institute of Modern History of China Academy of Social Sciences.