Study On The Economical Development Of Jianghan Plain In Song And Yuan Dynasties

Connetcing the preceding of Tang Dynasty's exploiting and the following of Ming Dynasty's rising, Song and Yuan Dynasties were the turning points in the course of the development of feudalistic Jianghan Plain. Although it suffered some setbacks, Jianghan Plain's lasting development had been the plologue of the increasing growth of Ming and Qing Dynasties. The thesis will discuss the process of development during Song and Yuan Dynasties from the degree of planting, handicraft industry, fishery, water transportation and natural calamity.On planting. Jianghan Plain reclaimed mainly by embanking along river during Tang Dynasty. With the improvement of population, irrigation works and agriculture, there had been an increase in cultivated land and crops from the middle of Northern Song. After the war between Northern Song and Southern Song, Jianghan Plain continued the process of development. In the Southern Song, there was a marked progress of the development of agriculture which transformed reclaimation from the traditional way into the new way which was named Yuantian. Yuantian was the more effective way to exploit the lakes and marshes, and it was also the result of progress of irrigation works and social economic. The expansion of Yuantian in Yuan Dynasty showed the further improvement in agriculture.On handicraft indursty. The improvement of potter and porcelain indursty and shipbuilding showed the progress which had been made in Jianghan Plain's handicraft during Song and Yuan Dynasties. The largh-scale potter and porcelain indursty which began at Late Tang and Five Dynasties, reached its peak in Northern Song. It was not only the outcome of the increasing economical development but also the especial result of the rising of the east of plain. However, some potter and porcelain makers declined because of the war. Unlike potter and porcelain indursty, the local shipbuilding had made its progress inch by inch during Song and Yuan Dynasties. Based Tang's improvement, there was a remarkable progress in the ships' numbers and scales.Thanks to the expasion of water transportation in Yuan Dynasty, shipbuilding continued to improve. The improvement of shipbuilding promoted the floushing of water transportation and commerce.On water transportation and fishery. Unlike Tang Dynasty, during Song Dynasty, Jianghan Plain undertook the transportation mission of tribute grain and cloth, Huai-salt and businessmen mainly by water. The transport center of Jianghan Plain was transferred from the Jing-Xiang land transportation into west-east water transportation, and water transport had become the most important way during Southern Song. In Yuan Dynasty, the water transportation become more and more convienent than ever. The improvement of artificial-fishery embodied the advance of fishery of Song Dynasty. The profit of fishery not only became the important part of local revenue but promoted the opetation. The rich fishery resources had been utilized further during Yuan Dynasty by the better management.On natural calamity. During Song and Yuan Dynasties, flood and drought were the most destroying calamities in the course of economic development of Jianghan Plain. Embankments which had been built in every region of the plain played a important role in defending cultivated land again flood during Song Dynasty. Although hole stopper and embanking along the Yangtze River would aggravate flood, by and large, Jianghan Plain's people had a better relationship with nature during Song and Yuan Dynasties. There had been a progressive expansion of reclamation because of the defence of embankments.The economical development of Jianghan Plain during Song and Yuan Dynasties had been the basis of " the harvest of Huguang, the abundance of Empire."...