Study On Agricultural Development In Heze Area During Yuan, Ming And Qing Dynasty

Heze is an earlier development areas in history. On the one hand the area has more favorable conditions for agricultural development, and on the other hand it has also several factors which constrain the development of agriculture. The dissertation takes the development process of agriculture of Heze as object of study, to reveal and recover systematically the historical pictures of the agricultural development of Heze area during Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty, studies the experiences and draws the lessons to serve for the future sustainable social economic development in the area.By the study on the history of agricultural development in Heze during Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty, the theoretical significance of the dissertation lies in contributing to the special history, historical geography and regional development study, providing typical cases for the agricultural exploitation and territorial management in Yellow River flooding plains, and offering historical bases for the development and eco-civilization construction today in the area.The practical significance lies in drawing the historical experiences and lessons to help to find a suitable way for the development of agriculture economy in the area, and providing historical references to foster strengths and circumvent weakness, to adjust agricultural structure and build ecological civilization.The dissertation is composed of ten chapters for discussion.Chapter I deals with the important historical place of Heze in politics, economy and culture in China. Chapter II analyzes the natural conditions and resources,including soil, water, climate, and vegetation in Heze, which are very important factors for the agricultural development in the area. Chapter III investigates the path of development and evolution of Heze in order to make it easy to grasp the history for reader. Chapter IV analyses the agricultural policies of the central government and the increase of labor resource in the area, which are important to ensure agricultural development. Chapter V elaborates reclaiming wasteland, building a series of water conservancy projects and raising agricultural technology, which are very important manifestations of agricultural development and vital factors to promote it to develop further. Chapter VI introduces the plantation and development of grain crops including some traditional corns and some from foreign countries, namely maize and Chinese potato. Chapter VII expounds the cultivating of economic crops, cotton and peony, which is another important manifestation in agricultural development in Heze area during Ming and Qing Dynasty. Chapter VIII discusses the two main natural disasters, the Yellow River floods and locust plagues which constrain agricultural development in the area. It introduces the two main natural disasters,analyses their causes, distinguishing characteristics and influences on agricultural development, and, from historical perspective, puts forward some measures to prevent and remove the two disasters. Chapter IX analyses the influences of agricultural development on the ecological environment, including the changing of land use and land cover, the changing and disappearing of the lakes, and the improving of the saline and alkaline land. Chapter X sums up the experiences and lessons, and analyses the main problems of agricultural development in Heze area, and also provides some corresponding suggestions and counter-measures.