水车与秧苗:清代江南稻田排涝与生产恢复场景

Water Wheels and Rice Seedlings: Paddy-field Drainage and the Restoration of Production in Qing-dynasty Jiangnan

本文以稻田排涝为主题,从圩田形态、人群和苗情景观等方面分析太湖地区乡村救灾的生产场景。指出易于戽水的圩田既要有良好的大圩岸,亦需梯级小抢岸和各种排水沟道。在清代,戽水以大棚车制动员乡民力量,集水车布于圩岸。由于时间紧迫,许多妇女也参加了戽水。在长期与水灾打交道的过程中,乡村社会中出现了许多与戽水排涝密切相关的苗情用词,非常直观地反映了稻田与水面的关系,也反映了稻苗与灾情的关系。

This paper analyzes the enclosure of fields, the transfer of seedlings and the personnel involved in paddy - field drainage and rice production in the Lake Tai region. Large embankments, tiered banks, and ditches facilitated the drainage of paddy lands. In the Qing dynasty drainage and bailing water depended on large scale water wheels located on larger embankments which required the mobilization of substantial manpower. Given the urgent need to distribute the water, many women took part in the work. The local dialect contains many phrases and locutions regarding seedlings and drainage that indicate the importance of the long term efforts to ensure proper drainage and to protect against flooding. This local terminology directly reflects the direct connections between paddy land and water, and the transplanting of seedlings and flooding.