中古时期北方地区畜牧业的变动

Changes in Livestock Husbandry in Middle Ancient Northern China

中古时期 ,我国北方黄河中下游地区畜牧经济的比重曾有明显上升 ,畜产结构也发生了重大变化 ,具体表现为 :畜牧区域曾向内地显著扩张 ,大型国营和私营畜牧业一度相当繁荣 ,农耕地区家庭饲养规模也有所扩大 ,羊取代了猪成为主要肉畜。但经过一段上升和繁荣之后 ,畜牧业重新渐转衰退。上述这些变动 ,与人口密度的升降和游牧民族的内徙直接相关 ,是农耕与畜牧两种具有不同生态适应性和能量生产效率的经济生产方式不断竞争消长的结果 ,与所谓“胡化”和“汉化”

The proportion of livestock husbandry in the economy of the middle and lower reaches of the Huanghe River in middle ancient China rose markedly for a while and the livestock structure also undertook tremendous changes as marked by the significant southward expansion of the nomadic area, the prosperity of state owned and private livestock farming, the development of domestic animal raising and the substitution of sheep for pigs as a main source of meat. However, after a period of growth and prosperity the livestock husbandry went again on the decline. These changes were closely related to the density of population and the migration of nomadic tribes, embodying the competition between agricultural farming and livestock husbandry with their different ecological adaptability and efficiency. They were also directly related to the processes of mutual assimilation of the Han and ethnical minorities in the history of China.