黄河文化与宁夏农业文明

The Yellow River Culture and the Agricultural Civilization in Ningxia

地理意义上的黄河,奠定了黄河文化在宁夏的表现形态:南部地处黄土高原边缘,北部为宁夏平原。南部清水河、泾河是黄河的重要支流,也是黄河文化的滋生地。北部平原,黄河孕育了宁夏历代农业文明。秦代,黄河东岸的秦渠诞生;汉代已成为著名的灌区;北魏时黄河水利再兴;隋唐时灌区得到了大力开发,宁夏平原已是一片美丽富饶的绿洲;西夏时开发利用了汉唐以来的重要渠道,农业生产有力支撑着西夏政治生命的延续;元明清时期黄河水利更是得以大规模地开发和利用,呈现出的是阡陌纵横、繁荣富庶的景象。

Geographically, with its south on the edge of the Loess Plateau and its north in the Ningxia Plain, the Yellow River determines the representation of the Yellow River culture in Ningxia. Both the Qingshui River and the Jinghe River in the south are important branches of the Yellow River as well as the cradle of the Yellow River culture. The northern plain and the Yellow River have cultivated the agricultural civilization since the past dynasties. In the Qin Dynasty, the Qinqu Channel on the east bank of the Yellow River came into being and later the region became a famous irrigation area in the Han Dynsaty. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the water conservancy projects were under construction. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the irrigated areas were further developed and the Ningxia Plain became a beautiful and fertile oasis. During the Xi Xia Dynasty, many important channels since the Han and Tang Dynasties were redeveloped and put into use, which not only benefited the local agriculture but also greatly strengthened its political power. Water conservancy of the Yellow River was once again developed during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties and therefore Ningxia has become a rich and populous region with crisscross footpaths between fields.