摘要
What is called ＂the relationship between nature （heaven） and man＂ or between the way of heaven and human affairs has been a focus of concern for over 2,000 years and also a fundamental issue in historical research. Here, we need to give thought to three points. The first is spatial difference, or the great variation in the relationship between man and nature across China＇s vast territory; the second is difference across time, as evolutionary changes in human society give rise to different relationships between man and the environment; and the third is the formation and development of a unitary multi-ethnic Chinese empire and its effect on man-land relationships. The following issues should receive serious attention in future research on environmental history： first, the importance of the regional studies approach in researching these relationships; second, the major role of human factors in their evolution; third, the impact of regional politics on these relationships, in that capital cities tend to suffer most from environmental degradation; and last but not least, the changes in these relationships in the course of modernization and urbanization over the past few decades.
所谓"天人之际",即天道与人事的关系,两千多年来一直是人们关注的问题,也是历史学研究的根本问题之一。这里需要思考的:一是空间的差异,我国地域辽阔,人与自然的关系差异很大;二是时间的差异,社会发展变化引起人地关系的差异;三是多民族统一帝国形成和发展与人地关系。今后环境史研究应从以下几方面入手:第一,区域研究应是人地关系研究的重要途径;第二,人地关系中的人为因素曾起过十分重要的作用;第三,地域政治与人地关系。首都所在地往往成为环境恶化最严重的地区。第四,近几十年现代化、城市化过程中人地关系的变化。
