先秦灾害问题述论

A Brief Account of the Disaster Problems in Pre-Qin Times

先秦时期见于史料的的灾害可谓层出不穷,既有水灾、地震及蝗灾等各种自然性的灾害,又有火灾及瘟疫等人文性灾害。人民在长期的生活中也积累了各种防灾治灾的经验,统治阶级为稳定社会也推出各种防灾举措,灾后更是通过推行一系列举措稳定民心、恢复生产,如借粮、节俭、同盟互助、拜爵及以工代赈等。这些举措在一定程度上体现了先秦时期人民的认知观念、统治阶级的执政理念和各诸侯国的关系。当然,各种灾害也被视为士大夫收买人心、窃取国家权力的重要手段,一些商贾也借此而暴富。先秦时期的灾害问题事实上已涉及社会的方方面面,探讨这一问题对于研究先秦时期的各种灾害、政治举措及诸侯国关系等方面具有重大意义。

Natural disasters-floods, earthquakes and locusts as well as humanistic disasters such as the fire and plague can be found in historical materials of the pre-Qin period. People learned a variety of disaster prevention measures from their life experiences, and the ruling class promoted all kinds of disaster preventions to stabilize the society. Many countermeasures for production recovery after disaster, such as borrowing grain, thrift, alli- ance, mutual assistance, bestowing a title of nobility, food-for-work are also effective. These measures reflected people＇s cognitive ideas in pre-Qin period, the concept of ruling class, and the relationship between the warring states. At the same time, many aristocratic stratum won the public support and gained the state regime and some merchants made the sudden wealth by this chance. In fact, disasters problem in pre-Qin period has been involved in all aspects of society. This research is of great significance for studying various disasters, political initiatives and state relationshipin pre-Qin period.