“保护水源地”观念与民国东祁连山区的社会治理——兼论边疆社会治理中的“非典型”观念

The Concept of“Headwaters Conservation”and Social Management of the East Qilian Mountains District in the Republican Period of China——A Discussion of“Atypical”Concepts in Borderland Social Management

东祁连山脉曾长期是中国西北边疆社会的重要组成部分,因其多森林、草原,自清代中叶以来引发了一系列砍伐与开垦活动。民国时期,一种将山区森林草原视为下游绿洲水源地并要求加以保护的观念,开始在该区域社会治理的有关文献中广泛出现。民国时期甘肃省民乐县东祁连山区社会治理的实践表明,这种"保护水源地"观念在社会治理中的真正目的并非是制止破坏环境,而是试图使区域社会在这种破坏中得到的利益均衡化、最大化,使政府的管制成本最小化。因此,学界对历代边疆社会治理的研究,不应只注意清晰、独特、有强大约束力的相关观念现象,类似"保护水源地"这样的"非典型"观念中往往蕴含着区域社会发展演化的深层密码。

The East Qilian Mountains district has long been an integral part of China’s northwest frontier society.Its abundant forests and grasslands triggered a series of felling and reclamation activities since mid-Qing period.In the Republican period of China,a new concept appeared in the documentation of regional social management,regarding forests and grasslands in the mountains as headwaters of downstream oases,thus a need for conservation.Focusing on the social management of East Qilian Mountains district in Minle county,Gansu province in the Republicanperiod,this paper points out,through evidential analysis,that this concept of"headwaters conservation"was not intended for preventing environmental destruction in its practical role within the framework of social management.Rather,it equalizes and maximizes the interests benefited by regional societies in the process of such destruction,so as to minimize the cost of government control.This paper further points out that in the historical study of frontier social management,one should not only notice conceptual phenomena that are clear,unique,and of strong binding.Meanwhile,"atypical"concepts such as"headwaters conservation"embody the evolutionary encryption of regional social development.