Yellow River Flood Of Pre-Qin Period

Since ancient times, there are rivers all over in China; especially two major river systems of the Yangtze River and Yellow River have created favorable conditions for flood disaster. Due to the limitations of social development, the flooding of the Yellow River has brought great disaster for people in the entire pre-Qin period. This article aims to discuss the specific reasons for the inundation of Yellow River in Xia, Shang and Chou dynasties through the analysis and summary of pre-Qin period historical data of the Yellow River flood disaster, and sum up management methods, disaster prevention and mitigation measures of Yellow River flood disaster which provides a reference and basis for today's disaster mitigation. This paper has four chapters:The first chapter summarizes the research achievements of the natural calamities of pre-Qin period. On one hand, it can help us know the achievements in this field, on the other hand, point out the insufficient place in this field, so as to begin my study.The second chapter summarizes the Flood of Xia Dynasty. There was the Yellow River Flood under conditions of many factors in the late of Primitive Society. The ancient human being had taken each means to treat flood unsuccessfully, until Dayu used the dredging method to divert the. It accelerated the process of Primitive Society to Slave Society, and helped Dayu created Xia Dynasty, the first slavery dynasty of China.The third chapter summarizes the Flood of Shang dynasty. In this chapter, Shang is a dynasty with frequent natural disasters which have also caused the deterioration of the natural environment, especially the impact of the Yellow River flood for the Shang Dynasty is profound. Many scholars of history believe that the mainly reasons for many migration of the ancient capital is the ancient capital of the Shang flooded by the Yellow River, but we also found that there is no obvious measures of governance of the Yellow River flood in this period by textual research. Meanwhile, many disaster prevention and mitigation measures are major features of the Yellow River flood control in Shang Dynasty. These measures include the mentioned migration of the ancient capital, as well as constructing irrigation ditches, using witchcraft through observing astronomical phenomena, etc. That is, in past dynasties the disaster prevention and mitigation measures for the Yangtze River and Yellow River flood are almost the continuation and development on the basis of the Shang Dynasty. Therefore, we regard there is still much room for the Yellow River flood study of the Shang period.The fourth chapter summarizes the Flood of Zhou Dynasty. In this chapter, we investigated the natural causes such as climate, vegetation, etc, and social causes'effect on the Yellow River Flood, especially the war for the destruction of the natural ecological environment caused by the Yellow River Flood. Compared with the previous generation, the Western and Eastern Zhou dynasties, particularly in the spring and autumn and Warring Stage Period occurred frequent natural disasters. Along with the development of Social Productivity, and iron tools in the application of farming, in order to safeguard the rule, the vassal state took active measures to construct the water conservancy facilities. The people's attitude for the Yellow River flood was different from the past; people's initiative had been a great play. In the Zhou Dynasty, a large number of astronomy calendars had been used in agricultural production. At the same time the Vassal State's awareness of the importance of the Yellow River Flood and the measures taken directly led to their hegemony in the subsequent ability to win a decisive war victory. So the Yellow River Flood disaster prevention and mitigation from another aspect of the construction of the spring and autumn and Warring Stage Period of Reform for reform of the late Warring States Period by the state of Qin finally unified the whole of China.