Research On Farmland Water Conservancy In Shaanxi During The Republic Of China

Shaanxi is a large agricultural province that mostly residents make a living on the land,and agricultural economy occupies the main position in its social production.Because of located in the interior of northwestern China,the rainfall of Shaanxi province is scarce and uneven distribution in space and time,natural rainfall can not meet the needs of agricultural production,and the construction of water conservancy works is more important than other regions.As one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization,Shaanxi has a long history in the development and utilization of irrigation and water conservancy,such as the system of farmland of Zhou Dynasty,the Zhengguo Canal of Qin State and the White Canal of Han Dynasty and so on,which promoted effectively the progress of agricultural production.Since modern times,the political situation of Shaanxi was chaotic and the natural disasters outbreaked frequently,that led to the economic depression and water conservancy disrepair of rural area,the vicious circle hampered seriously the social and economic development.In the late 1920s,the outbreak of rare drought in the northeastern provinces resulted in a considerable decrease in agricultural production and the local people became destitute and homeless,through the construction of water conservancy to defend and alleviate the disaster was of great urgency.At the same time,the international situation was increasingly tense,and speeding up the economic construction of the rear area was imperative.Facing the internal and external problems,the community called on promoting the development of the northwestern China,the national government also actively encouraged and strongly supported the northwestern economic construction,and the irrigation and water conservancy of Shaanxi entered the period of rapid development.In order to increase the agricultural production,promote the development of the northwestern China and meet the needs of military and the common people,Shaanxi province carried out the construction of irrigation and water conservancy extensively that included water channels,wells,ponds and so on,since the early 1930s.In Guanzhong Area,planning and designing lots of canals,such as Jinghui,Luohui,Weihui,Meihui,Heihui,Laohui,Fenghui,Ganhui and so on;in southern Shaanxi,finishing the water channels included Hanhui,Baohui,Xuhui;in northern Shaanxi,constructing the Dinghui Canal and Zhinv Canal and other large-scale irrigation projects.At the same time,promoting the irrigation wells,tanks,small canals and other small-scale irrigation works according to the local conditions to make up for the lack of large-scale irrigation and water conservancy projects.Through the construction of irrigation and water conservancy,the shortage problem of agricultural water of Shaanxi has been alleviated and the irrigation area gradually expanded.With the construction and renovation of irrigation and water conservancy,the management of Shaanxi’s irrigation and water conservancy was maturing.According to the different construction times and engineering natures,Shaanxi’s farmland water conservancy can be divided into new systems and old systems.The new farmland water conservancy mainly consisted of the Hui Canals and the old farmland water conservancy was composed of natural rivers and the old canals.In the specific division of power and responsibility,the Authorities and the Control Stations were responsible for the management of the new and large-scale water conservancy projects,and the Water Conservancy Association and its branches were responsible for the management of natural rivers and old canals,both of which had important effect on the daily affairs of farmland water conservancy,and gradually established the modern management system that combined professional management and private management.In the distribution of water,the Authorities measured extensively and registered exactly the land,confirmed the water rights,issued the regulations about irrigation and management,carried out the rotational irrigation system from bottom to top and first left then right,which promoted the fairness and rationalization of irrigation water;natural rivers and old canals normalized the order by establishing the management organizations,strengthening the supervision and management,rectified the illegal activities,which improved the water efficiency and reduced the irrigation disputes.In the Republic of China,the construction of water conservancy of Shaanxi province had remarkable achievements.On the one hand,the per unit of output of agricultural products increased and the farmland area expanded contributed to the increase of agricultural income,reduced the frequency and destructive power of flood and drought;on the other hand,the land price of rural area rose rapidly,other small-scale machine factories such as spinning,expelling,grinding flour were widely established,the education,greening,law and order and other social undertakings progressed obviously,the living standard of farmers improved,and the rural economy became prosperous.In addition,as an important part of the modern rural management system,the management of farmland water conservancy realized the cooperation of government and masses,which was beneficial to enhance the communication of the government and masses and the internal control of the common people,reduced the water disputes,maintained the social stability and harmony.With the development of farmland water conservancy,tremendous changes have taken place in Shaanxi province.