The Environmental Decay and the Encountering of Infants and Young Children in the Ming and Qing Dynasties Along the Great Canal
During the Ming and Qing dynasties,in order to maintain the eastward Canal and ensure the transportation of tribute grain,the imperial court moved the Yellow River southward,moreover,built and expanded giant water bo-dies such as Hongze and Weishan lakes in plains and highlands where were not suitable for establishing reservoirs,resulting in annual flooding of the Yellow River and the Huai River,as well as severe scarcity of living resources.The dominant adults in their families often sacrificed weaker infants and young children when faced with severe sur-vival crises.The majority of famines in the coastal areas were not caused by population growth and land limitation,but rather by destruction of the living environment.The environmental crisis and the distorted thought of adults to infants and young children threatened the survival of humanity themselves.When the practice of caring for infants and young children was carried out in certain regions in modern times,there was a phenomenon of suspicion and even hatred among Chinese people who held the tradition of respecting the elderly and despising the young.This was not a conflict between Chinese and foreign cultures,but a result of the differences in their own beliefs during the late Qing Dynasty.
万方数据
维普
