秦汉时期的河流意识

River consciousness during Qin and Han Dynasty

秦汉时期的河流意识沿袭了先秦时期的传统,此期对以黄河为代表的四条著名大河的认识逐步全面,对河流在交通、灌溉中所发挥的作用以及流域所种植的作物品种的认识体现出河流意识的宽泛化。河流与社会经济的密切关系,使秦汉统治阶级对河流的祭拜非常重视,不仅对著名河流以官府的名义加以祭拜,即使是地方的一些小河流也为民众所祭拜。祭拜河流与秦汉时期的重农思想密切相关,是重农意识的体现。河流的重要性还被赋予了新的文化意义,"黄河清"成为天下太平的象征。

The river consciousness during Qin and Han Dynasty follows the tradition of pre-Qin Dynasty,when people began to form a comprehensive cognition of the four famous rivers in China. The cognition of the function of the river in transportation and irrigation,and the crop varieties in the river watersheds indicates that the people had broadened their river consciousness. The rivers played an important role in the social economy,so the ruling class during Qin and Han Dynasty attached great importance to riverworship. Not only was the famous river worshiped in the name of the government,but the local small river was also worshiped by the local dwellers. The river worship behavior reflects the value of agriculture. A new culture is represented in the river worship,and ＂clear Yellow River＂is regarded as the symbol of ideal peace and order.