论汉唐时期苜蓿的推广与接纳

On the Promotion and Acceptance of Alfalfa During the Han and Tang Dynasties

伴随养马业的需求与饲料的匮乏,苜蓿作为优质牧草在西汉被引种入华。两汉之际政治中心东移洛阳,苜蓿被随之向黄河中下游地区推广。魏晋南北朝时期苜蓿在北方的种植远盛于南方。在农牧互动、国家统一的大背景下,隋唐承袭北朝,苜蓿的种植范围打破南北界限,此或亦为南北整合的具体表征。随着苜蓿被纳入税草征收体系,以及人们对其认识不断深化,用途渐趋广泛。作为域外物种和草本植物的苜蓿,逐渐打破了农耕民族的“厌草”情结,融入日常生活,真正得到接纳,从而成为中国古代农牧交流与互动的明证。

With the demand for horse farming and the scarcity of feed,alfalfa,as a high-quality forage,was introduced into China during the Western Han Dynasty.During the Han Dynasty,the political center moved eastward to Luoyang,and alfalfa was subsequently promoted to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River.During the Wei,Jin,Southern and Northern Dynasties,alfalfa cultivation was much more prevalent in the north than in the south.In the context of interaction between agriculture and animal husbandry and national unity,governments of the Sui and Tang dynasties inherited the practice of the Northern Dynasty,and the planting range of alfalfa broke the north-south boundary,which might be specific manifestation of the integration of South and North.With the inclusion of alfalfa in the tax collection system and the deepening of people’s understanding,its use became increasingly widespread.As an exotic species and herbaceous plant,alfalfa gradually broke the complex of aversion to grass for the farming people,integrated into people’s daily life,and truly was received,which was clear evidence of the interactions of ancient Chinese agriculture and livestock farming.