Anhui's cultural and economic development and the rise of Huizhou merchants, Anhui's economic development track

Anhui's cultural and economic development and the rise of Huizhou merchants, Anhui's economic development track

Archaeological findings prove that people lived, multiplied and worked in Anhui at least 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. They can not only make tools, but also use fire. In the Neolithic age, it has reached a certain degree of development. Judging from the unearthed Neolithic production and living utensils, the residents of this land at that time had developed a considerable level of agriculture besides fishing and hunting. Subsequently, with the growth of population, the establishment of the country and the improvement of the production level of production tools, more and more land was developed, and the agricultural production level and grain output were continuously improved.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Anhui's economy developed rapidly, and some large-scale water conservancy projects were built in the north and south of Huaihe River. For example, in 360 BC, Wei Huiwang dug a canal called Gap, also called canal water, which is actually the floorboard of several artificial canals. It originated in Xingyang, Henan Province, and is divided into two parts: one part passes through Xiaoxian County and Dangshan Mountain in Anhui Province to Xuzhou, and then enters the Huaihe River; One branch flows from Liang to the south and is divided into two by Chen (now Huaiyang). One enters the vortex water in Bo County, the other enters the Huaihe River in Huaiyuan, and the other enters the Huaihe River in Cai (now Fengtai). The gap connects the Yellow River, Economy, Huai River, Si River and Ru River, which is beneficial to irrigation and water transportation in Huaibei Plain and promotes the economic development of Huaibei. In Huainan, Uncle Sun Ao, Premier of Chu Zhuangwang, presided over the excavation of a famous artificial reservoir called Shaopi, which can irrigate all fields. During the period of King He Lv of Wu, Wu Zixu presided over the construction of a Jianghuai Canal, named Xu He, which entered Chaohu Lake from the Yangtze River along the ruxu River (now Caohe River) and connected with Shaobei via Chaohu Lake. There is a waterway in Shaobei that opens into the Huaihe River in Shouchun (southwest of Shouxian County today). The opening of this canal will promote the development of irrigation and water transport in Huainan area.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, Anhui's economy developed rapidly. Specific performance in the following aspects: First, the improvement of production tools. During this period, the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age was completed, and agricultural production was ironed. During the Western Han Dynasty, an iron official was set up in Wanxian County (now Qianshan County) of Lujiang County, and the ironware made was not only used locally, but also exported to Hubei and other places today. From 65438 to 0959, a dam site in the Eastern Han Dynasty was discovered in Shouxian County, and production tools such as iron plows and hoes were unearthed. In recent years, iron farm tools such as sickles, hoes and hoes have been unearthed from the Eastern Han Dynasty site in Huainan, which proves that iron farm tools were widely used in Anhui during the Han Dynasty. By the Han dynasty, the plough had also been obviously improved. The share unearthed in Shouxian County is flat on one side and high on the other, and the empty groove at the bottom of the plow is enlarged and the acute angle at the head is reduced, which can improve the efficiency of digging and ditching. With the improvement of plough, Niu Geng technology has been paid more and more attention. When Wang Jing was the satrap of Lujiang County in the Eastern Han Dynasty, he taught the people to plow, which greatly improved the efficiency of land reclamation. Second, water conservancy construction. During the Western Han Dynasty, Anhui's water conservancy developed rapidly, especially in Huainan and some areas bordering Huaibei and Henan. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, runan county, which was in charge of the border area between Anhui and Henan, and Jiujiang County, where Shouchun of Anhui was located, built the Huaihe River irrigation project. Later, in the Western Han Dynasty, a new county named Pi Fu was added here because there were many ponds used to irrigate rice fields in Funan County. In order to manage and maintain the water conservancy project in Jiujiang County, the Western Han Dynasty set up a vicious official and a lake official here. According to the geographical records of Hanshu, there was only one such institution in all parts of the country at that time, which shows that the water conservancy in Huainan area was developed. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wang Jing, the satrap of Lujiang, mobilized the masses to repair the whistle skin and put this important water conservancy project that had been in disrepair for a long time back into use. In addition, the drilling technology at that time also developed to a higher level. 196 1 year, an ancient well of the western Han dynasty was discovered outside the east gate of Shouxian county. In the narrow strip less than140m, there are 9 ancient wells, 7 of which are Taoquan wells. Besides drinking water, wells can also play the role of irrigation. Third, the increase of population. After the reunification of Qin Dynasty, Huaiyi, who lived between Huaihe River and Surabaya for a long time, was "scattered into the house", eliminating the racial boundaries of Jianghuai residents. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Dong 'ou and Min-Yue people living in present-day Fujian and Zhejiang moved to Jianghuai twice, with a total population of100000, which greatly increased the population of Anhui. Due to the improvement of productivity and the stability of social life, in addition to immigration factors, Anhui's own population growth rate is also very high, making Anhui a region with high population density. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the frequent wars in the north and the sharp drop in population, the registered population in Anhui decreased a lot. However, from the southern part of the Yangtze River, the population has increased, indicating that with the war-driven northward movement, the economic development of Jiangnan has been continuously improved.

During the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the social economy in the northern and southern areas of Anhui Huaihe River was greatly destroyed and the population dropped sharply. However, it should also be noted that the rulers attach importance to the economic recovery and development of this area in order to solve the problem of rations. During the Jian 'an period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao reclaimed land, and now Dangshan, Haoxian, Taihe, Huaibei, Shouxian and Buried Hill have all become important reclamation areas. During Wei Zhengshi's reign, Wargo cultivated land in Daxing and the north and south of Huaihe River, and got up to 5 million tons of rations every year. Wuye cultivated land, and Lujiang (now Qianshan County) north of the Yangtze River became the largest area of cultivated land. Zhuge Ke once led ten thousand soldiers to farm here. When the Western Jin army invaded Anhui City, it burned down1800,000 huts and trampled on more than 4,000 hectares of rice fields, indicating that the scale of Wu's reclamation in this area was very large. In order to cooperate with reclamation and develop production, many water conservancy projects were built in Anhui during this period. For example, during the Jian 'an period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Fuxing, the secretariat of Yangzhou, built water conservancy projects such as Shaopi, Rupi, Qimen Weir and Wupi Weir, and Zheng Hunxing, the magistrate of Pei County, built Beipi in the early years of Wei and Huang Dynasties. , open up rice fields, called Zhengbei. The above water conservancy projects are all in northern Anhui except Rupo. During the large-scale land reclamation in the north and south of Huaihe River, Wargo "conquered the vicious areas in Yingnan and Yingbei, dug more than 300 miles of canals, irrigated 20,000 hectares of farmland, and reached Huainan and Huaibei" (Records of Food Goods in the Book of Jin). More than 50 primary schools have been built in Shaopi area alone. Wu also attached great importance to the water conservancy construction in Jianghuai area, such as Dongxing Pool built in Chaohu City in Huanglong period and Tongcheng Gate built in hanshan county in Chiwu period, which all received good economic benefits. At that time, there were early polder fields. According to research, Xianbaowei in Wuhu, Jinbaowei in Xuancheng and Xiwei in Wangjiang County were all built during the period of Sun Wu. The most striking economic phenomenon in Anhui during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was the economic development in the south of the Yangtze River. At that time, in order to escape the war, the people in the north moved south in large numbers. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, people from Yuzhou and Xuzhou crossed the Yangtze River eastward, with more than 100,000 households at one time. From Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty to Liu Song Dynasty, the population moving southward was about 900,000, among which southern Anhui was one of the areas where Huizhou clans, such as Bao, Yu and Yu, moved in in the Western Jin Dynasty and Huang, Cheng, Ye and Dai, flooded in in in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

During the Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, Anhui's economy continued to develop, especially in the south of the Yangtze River, which made unprecedented progress in breadth and depth and became an important source of central financial revenue and the lifeline of the national economy. According to historical records, before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the grain supply in the north did not have to rely on the south, but after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the grain supply in the north was often insufficient, and it was necessary to transport the grain from the south to supplement it. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang Gaozu, the annual South-to-North Water Diversion Project was about 200,000 stones, which increased year by year after Emperor Taizong. When Henan and Hebei, which are famous for their developed agriculture, suffered disasters, Tang often used Jianghuai rice to help the hungry, and often let the hungry people in the north eat in Jianghuai. After the Anshi Rebellion, the north was destroyed by the war, and many people moved to the south. Jiangnan economy plays a more important role in the whole country. At that time, people said that "the world is important and depends on the southeast" (Biography of Quan Deyu in the New Tang Dynasty). Since the Five Dynasties, the regime has been dominant, and Huaibei area has suffered from war. The war in the early Southern Song Dynasty also spread to Huainan area, but the Jiangnan area has always maintained a relatively peaceful social environment, and the rulers attached great importance to the economic development of Jiangnan and Jianghuai areas. In the Southern Tang Dynasty, the policy of encouraging farming was implemented. Farmers were required to plant 3,000 mulberry trees in three years, and 50 silks were given. Those who cultivated 80 mu of land were given 200 yuan each, and these mulberry fields and farmland were tax-free for five years. The effect of this national policy is obvious, that is, "the land between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River is completely broken, and mulberry trees are full of wild" (Zi Jian, Volume 2700). During the Southern Tang Dynasty, attention was paid to the construction of polder fields, and some polder fields were built around Wuhu. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the construction of polder fields began and many large-scale projects appeared. For example, Xuanhou Chenghuawei covers more than 880 hectares of land and water, renting more than 34,000 meters of stones every year, and the circumference of Wuhu Wanchunwei is 84 miles, with an area of mu1270,000 mu. In the second year of Longxing (1 164), Song Xiaozong ordered the ministers of Jiangnan States to attach importance to the construction of polder fields, and Xu Yin, the magistrate of Xuanzhou, pleaded for the opening of polder fields. Xiaozong sent Shen Qi to manage the affairs of Xuanzhou and Taiping polder. With the attention of the imperial court, local officials urged and persuaded people to build farmland, so polder fields were widely distributed in the north and south of Anhui Province. In the trunk highway era, there were 179 polder fields in Xuancheng county, more than 50 in dangtu county and 36 in Luzhou. The construction of polder fields has greatly expanded the area of cultivated land. Moreover, polder fields can not only prevent drought, but also drain water, which is a good field for drought and flood, and is conducive to the stable development of production. In the Northern Song Dynasty, all the top ten granaries in Shi Jing were shipped from Jianghuai area, and large granaries were also built in Wuwei and Wuhu to store and transport grain. It can be seen that the Jianghuai area has become an important grain base in China.

On the basis of the development of agricultural production, during the Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, handicrafts and commerce in Anhui also developed greatly. Tea drinking was popular in the Tang Dynasty, and Anhui was an important tea producing area. According to Lu Yu's Tea Classic, Shouzhou (including today's Huoshan, Huoqiu and Lu 'an) and Shucheng (including today's Buried Hill, Yuexi, Anqing and Tongcheng) in the north of the Yangtze River, Xuanzhou (including today's Nanling, Jingxian, Ningguo and Xuanzhou) and Xuzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. In the Song Dynasty, tea was planted and baked more widely than in the Tang Dynasty, and an official tea farm was established in Guangde County (now Guangde County). Mining, metallurgy, textile, silk and other industries are also booming. In addition, in the Song Dynasty, cotton cultivation began to appear in Anhui. The abundance of agricultural products and handicraft products provides conditions for the prosperity of trade. Anhui's water transport network from Huaibei to Jiangnan has become a commercial and trade network, and Anhui has also become a distribution center for goods from north to south. The rhinoceros horn, ivory and jewelry in Guangzhou, rice and wood in West Lake, and salt in Jin Shu and Yangzhou in Sichuan all pass through Jianghuai Commercial Center in Anhui.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Anhui's economic development also reached the peak of the traditional era. Anhui is the hometown of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to the economic recovery and development here and adopted a series of preferential measures. First, mass migration. According to statistics, in the last Hongwu period, there were as many as seven large-scale immigrants to the Huaihe River basin, with a total population of more than 200,000, which provided sufficient labor resources for the development of agricultural production. Second, give preferential policies. Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the newly reclaimed land to be tax-free for three years, and repeatedly ordered Ningguo, Guangde, Taiping, Wuwei, Xuancheng, Chizhou and other places to be tax-free, and Fengyang, Linhuai and other counties to be tax-free forever. For immigrant poor farmers, they also provide free means of production such as food seeds and cattle, as well as means of subsistence such as clothes and money. Third, vigorously build water conservancy projects. In the early days of Hongwu, the city gate of Hezhou was built, covering more than 200 miles a week. In the last years of Hongwu, in order to dredge the Huaihe River and reduce floods, manpower was organized to dredge the Yangshan River in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River. During the Yongle period, Anfengtang in Shouzhou was rebuilt, and the buried hill, Huaining weir, Fu Sheng in Tianchang County, Qijiazhuang reservoir and Huaihe River levee were built. With the support of the imperial court and the efforts of the people, Anhui's economy has developed rapidly. In the fourth year of Xuande in Ming Dynasty (1426), it was stipulated that people from Tianjing, Changzhou, Zhenhuai, Yangzhou, Fenghuang, Taitai, Chuhe and Lulu would transport 2.2 million stone grains, accounting for more than half of the total grain of 4 million stone grains in China, among which Fengyang, Taiping, Chuzhou, Luzhou and Hezhou belong to today's Jianghuai area in Anhui.

The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the heyday of Anhui's commerce. All navigable rivers have become busy commodity transportation lines, and everything can be bought in the market. Among them, salt, rice, tea, bamboo and wood are bulk commodities in department stores, which occupy a very prominent position in Anhui's commercial transportation. Ming * * * set up six salt transportation companies and seven salt process promotion companies throughout the country, among which Shandong Salt Transportation Company's salt transportation scope includes Xu, Pi and Su, and its salt is transported and sold by Huaihe River. The salt transportation departments of the two Huai Provinces include Ningguo, Taiping, Fengyang, Luzhou, Anqing, Chizhou and Chuzhou, and their salt is transported and sold through the Huaihe River system and the Yangtze River system. The salt transportation departments in Guangdong and Zhejiang include Huizhou Prefecture and Guangdezhou, and their salt is transported and sold through the Yangtze River system and Xin 'anjiang River system. The scope of salt transportation in Qing dynasty generally followed that of Ming dynasty, but it was expanded, and the scale of salt transportation in inland rivers in Anhui province was larger. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, commodity agriculture and handicraft production in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces developed rapidly, and the planting area of grain crops decreased, requiring rice from Huguang and Jiangxi provinces. The rice in the counties along the Yangtze River in Anhui Province is also exported in large quantities, and the rice trade is very prosperous. Wuhu has become one of the largest rice markets in China, with a steady stream of rice carriers flowing down the river. Anhui tea production continued to develop on the existing basis in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the Qing Dynasty, Anhui tea quota was set at more than 87,000 yuan. The producing areas include Buried Hill, Taihu Lake, Mianxian County, Xiuning County, Yixian County, Xuancheng County, Ningguo County, Taiping County, Guichi County, Qingyang County, Tongling County, Jiande County, Wuhu County, Lu 'an County, Huoshan County, Guangde County and Jianping County, and tea has become seventeen counties. The sales of bamboo and wood are also very large. Jiangxi, Huguang and Sichuan, which are adjacent to Anhui, are rich in timber, which is transported to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River for sale. Bamboo and wood produced in the southern mountainous area of Anhui Province are also transported to Wuhu via Qingyi River, and then exported downstream. Wuhu is an important timber transshipment base. Many merchant ships often dock at Qingyijiang Port, and Huining Beach is a special port for Huizhou timber merchants to store timber. In addition to the above-mentioned salt, rice, tea and wood, there are a large number of silk and silk fabrics, cotton fabrics, pottery and other commodities.