明清太湖流域植棉业的时空分布——基于环境“应对”之分析

The Temporal and Spatial Distribution of the Cotton Plantation in the Taihu Lake Valley during the Ming and Qing Dynasties: Based on the Theory of Environmental Response

有关明清时期太湖流域植棉业的扩大,已有研究主要从市场角度出发,较为一致地认为是农业商品化发展的结果。本文指出,农业发展不仅是生产技术提升的过程,亦是建设性"应对"环境的过程。所谓环境"应对",是适应性地利用自然和积极治理环境的统一。植棉业的扩大,得益于市场作用毋庸否认,但亦与水环境治理不足、时人只能于既定环境中因地制宜利用自然密不可分。"易稻种棉"等过度发展旱地作物的现象,不仅削弱了粮食生产的地位,亦使耕地出现了不同程度的退化。

The expansion of the cotton plantation in the Taihu Lake Valley during the Ming and Qing Dynasties was investigated from market level by scholars. They affirmed the change was caused by agricultural commercialization. In fact, agricultural development is not only the process of promoting production technology, but also a process of constructively coping with the environment. Environmental response is essentially the unity of the adaptively using nature and positively treating environment by the human. Although market surely played a role during the expansion of cotton plantation, it was not only. Because water environment could not been effectively managed by the people, the peasants had to use natural conditions adequately for their production in the certain environment. The measures were surely contributing to the expansion too. The cotton expansion and rice reduction not only weakened rice production, but also caused the degradation of cultivated land.