The Study On Man-Land Relationship In Song Dynasty

Predominantly agricultural society, population and arable land are basic elements of man-land relationship. To explore the problem of man-land relationship is essentially to explore the problem of human existence and development. The change of man-land relationship is in essence the reasonable distribution, development and utilization of population, resources and environment, mainly through regional development and industrial structure optimization, eventually forming a coordinative development model of man-land relationship. Therefore, man-land relationship can be understood at a level of relationship between population and economy, and even at a level of relationship between population and society.Although compared with the Sui and Tang Dynasties,the Song Dynasty territory area are greatly decreased, the number of population and area of cultivated fields have developed to a new peak, which has gone beyond the Han and Tang Dynasties. From the perspective of population and arable lands, the man-land relationship in Song Dynasty was ups and downs, but on the whole was in the development trend, and the contradiction between dense population and sparse land became increasingly prominent. By Southern Song Dynasty, the evolution of man-land relationship showed significant regional differences, which could be divided into three types: first, areas with dense population and sparse lands, where man-land relationship became increasingly intense, mainly referring to Jiang Nan Dong Lu, Jiang Nan Xi Lu, Liang Zhe Lu, Fu Jian Lu, Cheng Du Fu Lu and Tong Chuan Fu Lu, especially the contradiction in Fu Jian Lu the sharpest one; second, sparsely-populated areas, which mainly referred to Guang Nan Dong Lu and Guang Nan Xi Lu, Jing Hu Bei Lu, Jing Hu Nan Lu, Li Zhou Lu circuit and Kui Zhou Lu,especially Guang Nan Xi Lu the most typical; third, areas where man-land relationship changed from relatively coordination to drastic upheaval featured by sparsely-populated but vast areas, mainly referring to Huai Nan Dong Lu and Huai Nan Xi Lu.Either dense population with sparse lands or vast lands with less population is the manifestation of incoordination of man-land relationship, that is, the contradiction between people and lands. The areas with dense population but sparse lands, which was represented by Fu Jian Lu, were alleviated mainly through economic adjustment, birth control, outward emigration and cultural adjustment. However, the areas with vast lands but less population, which was represented by Guang Nan Xi Lu, were adjusted because of inward immigrants, land reclamation, construction of water conservancy, improvement of agricultural productivity and development of culture and education. Although the contradiction was eased, they were not totally relieved from this contradiction. Huainan region was typical of areas, where man-land relationship changed from relatively coordination to the situation of vast lands but less population. This change of man-land relationship was mainly caused by Song and Jin War. Although the Southern Song government has taken a series of measures to adjust, the political relations of wars and peaces between the Song and Jin Dynasty hinder the restoration of Huainan social economy.The factors causing regional differences of man-land relationship in Song Dynasty are mainly natural geographical environment, economic system, government management and war. Different man-land contradictions have different influences on social economy, regional cultures and ecological environment. The areas with dense population and sparse lands was often in the economic and cultural prosperity, while the areas with vast lands but less population were economically and culturally backward. Both kinds of man-land contradiction have adverse effects on ecological environment in the process of mediation. Although, population pressure has a promoting effect on the social and economic development, but the increasing pressure of population growth also brings heavy pressure on the ecological environment. From the perspective of food supply, the increasing grain output provides the conditions for the increasing population growth in the areas with dense population and sparse lands and the areas with vast lands but less population, which illustrates man-land relationship has good development.Man-land relationship is not only a historical problem but a realistic problem.. In China the current situation where there are dense population and less lands becomes more serious, especially in the eastern coastal areas, where the shortage of land resources is always the bottleneck of regional economic development. In Wenzhou, which is against the mountains and along the coasts, the contradiction between dense population and sparse lands has intensified from Song Dynasty till now. With reform and opening-up, Wenzhou breaks through the contradiction and achieves regional economic development by "Wenzhou model", whose successful experience has its model functions nationwide. The study of ancient and modern man-land relationship inspires us that only on the premise of respecting objective law and improve the level of science and technology as well as with the joint efforts of government and public can we solve man-land contradiction and promote sustainable development of population, resources and environment.