FAN, Zhimin, Ancient Agronomy Research, NW Agriculture University, Xi' an, Shaanxi Province, PR CHINA (Humanities 1995(5):97-101. Transl. by Jiwu Wang; ed./interpr. by B. Gordon)
Two important Early Qin Dynastic events given to the land of Qifeng controlled Zhou Dynasty survivors. Occuping Qifeng provided a superior natural environment for Qin agricultural growth*, with easy adoption of Zhou private farm ownership and crop distribution, which were then advanced when Zhou survivors not following King Ping fled E. As these events transformed Qin agriculture, studying the role played by "Zhou survivors" is a key to early Qin agricultural research.
When the W Zhou Dynasty fell and King Ping fled E, many Zhou survivors remained in the W part of the state, joining original Qin and other Minorities in Qin-occupied Qifeng.
The Book of Songs [Early October] says many Zhou dukes and nobles followed the king: "Prepare horse wagons and move to Xiang" (in today's Henan). King You's Duke Heng of Zheng State (today's Xihua County, Shanxi) said Zhou would fall soon and took his people and belongings to between Guo and Hui, where his son, Duke Wu, later re-established Zheng State. When King Ping fled E, he looked for protection from his dukes, with Zheng one of them. Therefore, in early Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Zhou said "my state's escape was protected by Jin and Zheng States." W Guo was granted to King Wen's brother, Guo Zhong or Guo Shu. After the Zhou fled E, Duke Guo moved his state to Shangyang (in today's Henan province), later called S Guo. King Xuan granted the title of Duke Fan to Zhong Shanfu (Fan Muzhong). At first, the duke's land was in today's Chang'an, Shanxi, but he moved to Yangfan (in today's Henan province), under Zhou authority in the Spring and Autumn Period. A senior official of Zhou noble Bo Yushi who followed King Ping when King Ling reigned, said "seven families followed him, the king using our horses", but history records nine families were left behind. This shows most Zhou survivors were left and became Qin subjects.
Late W Zhou and Early E Zhou poems vividly reflect Zhou feelings: "Zhou is dying and we have no place to stay." Many people saw them as a boat floating on the river, or a bird forever seeking a nest: "I look about and worry where we are going to move" (Jienanshan Poem). From this poem reflecting a feeling of unwillingness to move and home love, we know most were too poor to move E with King Ping; i.e., they stayed under Qin rule. But some nobles were unwilling to move E because they had no place in the new settlement, while others were disatisfied with King Ping forcing everyone E by destroying their homes and farms.
Late W Zhou states on the Zhou River (Zheng, Shao, Rong, Du, etc.) developed their own farm techniques; e.g., the Zheng followed King Ping but revered their old capital. There were also many remaining in their old state. After the Xiguo moved E, their old state was called Xiaoguo, and was filled with Qin in 687 BC, followed by other states, their people developing Qin agriculture.
Some suggest Spring and Autum Qin population was 20-30,000; e.g., a Qin record of a 763 BC royal hunting party of 700; i.e., a small fraction because the Qin capital was in the distant W. As another Zhou population estimate shows 200,000 in Qin state, the main Early Qin population were Zhou and their neighbours.
The Zhou originated in Qifeng where agriculture evolved. As tradition says Zhou ancestor Hou Yi was expert in agriculture, with even Emperor You his student, he became a Shang Dynasty deity, making Qin agriculture intense in Shang and Zhou dynasties, such that Qin neighbors also advanced. When the Xuan King did not perform the farm ritual, noble Guo said "agriculture is crucial to the state through divine offerings, more supply of goods and social harmony, allowing higher population, and that the King should make it a priority, a popular view that became classical theory. When Zhou State ended, the royal family and nobles moved E, unaccompanied by its agricultural tradition, while lingerers continued the tradition, advancing it under Qin rule.
Guanzhong's Zhou greatly improved agriculture, but their last days brought famine, war and looting, but the fundamental agro-environment persisted. The Qin expelled small tribes whose attacks harmed agriculture superficially. Other residents with close contact with the advanced Qin sometimes sided with the Zhou, while others helped Qin attack Zhou, depending on benefits, but had nothing to do with stock-raising vs. agricultural competition. The Qin called themselves Zhou successors and subjects, with the Zhou king still ruler. Qin nobleman Xiang accompanied the Zhou king E. Qin land grants allowed agricultural growth to accept and protect many Zhou survivors as they continued their agricultural technology. War did not significantly affect agriculture due to the many Zhou survivors in Qin state, the latter's agricultural production remaining at Zhou levels.
As Late Qin agriculture greatly benefitted from Zhou agricultural technology, Gu Jigang said advanced agriculture was a major reason for Qin State being the strongest in China.1
While lack of archaeological resources until recently limited thorough research on the role of Zhou survivors in developing early Qin agrotechnology, new achievements in this field and the history of ancient agriculture provide data.
Post-1980's archaeology show early Qin iron smelting technology was important; e.g.s, Shanxi Province early Spring and Autumn Period iron sword with copper handle; bayonet, spade, etc., all made by Qin throughout their state (2), one of few iron smelting areas.
Some think Qin culture involves iron tool origin, but the Book of Poetry says iron was melted to make carpentry tools, with a recent Henan iron sword thought to be China earliest melted iron. Of Hao State origin bordering Qin state, it shows the Qin knew iron melting in late Zhou; i.e., they may have learned the technique from the Hao, but developed it for agriculture.
Four chapters adapted from earlier books and discussing agricultural techniques in Spring and Autumn Annals cite Qin nation-building theory and crop rotation without mentioning buffalo, fertilizer or irrigation.(3) As they reflect pre-Warring States Period agricultural knowledge, scholars think they originate in the agricultural book Hou Yi (4). As it contains agricultural ritual, land and soil improvement theory, planting technique, seed selection, soil water retention, etc., it was not written in W Zhou Period. Its contents were adopted by the Annals because nothing related to the book occurs in E Zhou records. Rather, Hu Yi was written in Spring and Autumn Period when the Zhou moved E, and finished by non-migrants who wished to pass their agricultural techniques to sons and grandsons and calling it Hou Yi.
Ban Gu cites two pre-Qin agricultural schools, one proposing grain-planting theory and urging people to be farmers, another advanced by Shen Nong saying everyone be farmers, even the king. The Shen Nong school was accepted by eastern states, some people relinquishing school to pursue agriculture. It was more political, reflected the natural economy and played a role in developing agricultural technology. As the Hou Yi school emphasizing advancing agro-techniques was regarded by the Qin as an agricultural bible, it became the agricultural part of the Spring and Autumn Annals, and that is why we can read the book today.
Ties between the Hou Yi book and Spring and Autumn Annals is epitomized in agricultural continuity from Zhou to Qin Dynasties, the former written by people left in E Zhou under the Qin who continued, developed and exported their agricultural techniques and helped advance old Qin technology to that of the Eastern states; and even more advanced in some areas.
Besides advancing Qin technology, Zhou survivors were instrumental in Qin crop distribution.
The long history of the Qin weakened and their class structure ended temporarily after several emigrations and they were enslaved by Zhou nobles because they helped the Shang fight the Zhou in terminal Shang Dynasty after the Zhou destroyed the Shang.
For successful horse breeding for Zhou Dynasty's King Xiao, Qin citizen Feizi was granted former Qin land, and from then the Qin were granted land and became Zhou nobles. Zhou grant rules state if land is >25 km from the king's land, its owner was a fuyong, who was also a local ruler. As the Qin helped the king from invasion by tribes like the Rong and Di, they amassed land and became nobles. Senior feudal officials or dafu got food from their land, while nobles helped the king rule and paid duty, taxes and services to the state. Their sons and grandsons inherited land and privilege. This change shows how the Qin extricated themselves from possible slavery.
Qin land grants are in historic records; e.g., King Zhuang ordered Boshi and Buqi to fight the Rong who invaded W Zhou territory. Boshi returned to the Zhou capital with many prisoners, while Buqi continued W to capture more before returning to new land, people, and weapons. In 1978 in a Shanxi village, archaeologists found the Qingong Bell inscribed with the words "My ancestor received land, people and animals from the king", proof of land grants. It also said land was inherited by sons and grandsons. The bell was made to let descendants know the grant remained in the family.
Under the land grant system, "a person has a crown, title, benefits, land and people, and a good coffin and honorable graveyard when he dies", his gravegoods and graveyard size determined by his title. Shanxi archaeology shows very strict Zhou burial rules; e.g., Fengxiang County's famous huge Qin noble grave. Mid to small Qin graves have five categories: 5-pod, 3-pod, 1-2 pod and with or without pottery. (5) The king had 9-pod, nobles 7-pod, high officials 5-pod, Yuanshi with 3-pod, low officials with 1-2 pod. If the king offered nothing, that person had no gravegoods. Many Qin burials are extended; e.g., in 1976, archaeologists coded Baqi Village, Fengxiang County, graves as AM5, AM9, BM27, CM2 & CM3, and Gao Village graves M24, M15, M1, M39, M21, M32, M33, M45, M46 & M47. Five Warring States graves in Fengxike Village and Banpo in Xi'an are extended, as is a long Song Village, Hu County coffin, and 99 of 100 Warring States graves in Jiangchengbao 8501 site, Baoji City (6). But flexed burials are traditionally Qin, while Zhou survivors retained extended burials after going to the central Shaanxi plain. We think big extended burials are Qin, while mid to small ones are Zhou survivors. After adopting extended burials, Early Qin followed Zhou rites with Zhou class division, retaining the class system until emigration to Qin state.
As the Zhou originated on the central Shaanxi plain, the "9-square" system matured before Qin Dynasty and exists in historical and archaeological records. As the Xuan king had land "without a thousand mu" and "ruled his subjects in Taiyuan," some scholars think the land system was waning and not retained by Qin state. They argue it waned in Late W Zhou, making it difficult to retain. After the Ping king went E and the Qin and Rong occupied royal land, they broke Zhou ties and accelerated system downfall. In fact, many Warring States Records, Historical Records and Han Records show how Shang Yang "broke the land system, crisscrossing paths between fields" and proving the system existed in Qin state. Early Qin records mention guo, ye, min, mang, shi & shu, used in the "9-square" system, while early Qin land distribution appears in "Shang Yang helps Qin redistribute royal land". We think the "9-square" system survived Zhou downfall, reappearing after Qin occupied the central Shaanxi plain and working well as the "Yuantian" system, a popular Qin land distribution system.
Karl Marx thought it universal that conquerors adapted to the conquered's civilization if it was superior; e.g.s, the Qin combining crops and husbandry when they entered the Shaanxi Plain, shaking Zhou production; and strengthening their much weaker system of private ownership. Shock to these adjustments helped it change, but the Qin adopted everything from Zhou, continuing its tradition by "absolutely following its steps", as it was better. The Qin got agricultural help from Zhou survivors, advancing agriculture over other states. Zhou survivors helped modify land ownership using their 9-square system, producing new land management of Qin nobles when combined with Qin military-democracy and reorganizing agriculture. When "granting and living on one's land" differentiated public and private land, and residence and land quality were considered, farmers became enthusiastic. The Qin land system was pivotal in state growth because it resembled Zhou and evolved, creating a wealthy militarily-strong nation.
A typical 9-square system contrasts the concept of guo (state) and ye (open country) or respect and scorn; lord and commoners or guests; honoured scholars and disgraced amateurs, a differentiation that was crystal clear, never confusing and reflected ruler and subject. Although Spring and Autumn Qin family tomb types A & B show class structure, it is overly complex to define lower classes which might have included Zhou survivors. They were basic farmers, a key to studying early Qin society.
Early Qin state and country differed, as did their earlier concepts; e.g., Zhou farmers were not conscripted; Qin were. Fengxiang County, Shaanxi, has a place where >300 farmers ate meat of the Mu king's horse. A local official was going to punish them, but the king declined and sent alcohol. When the Qin fought the Jin and the king was beleaguered, those farmers risked their lives to rescue him and his army, paying their pardoning debt. As this place was Zhou homeland, the farmers should be Zhou survivors with the same rights and responsibilities as other citizens because they joined the army; i.e., as both farmers and soldiers, they provided both Qin agricultural and army manpower.
Pre-Qin records show city residents and country commoners were treated equally, the former called lords, the commoners as guests. As the Qin came from W of Shaanxi, they were not native to the central Shaanxi plain, but became the ruling class and called themselves residents. The Qin used strategy to earn group support, locally or otherwise, to win the war with the Jin.
A highly respected Early Qin title was shuzhang (local administrator or army commander), later dividing to big, left, right and siju shuzhang. Just below the king, some shuzhang were involved in crowning and deposing him. Commoners were liberals or nobles who lost their status. Shang Shu Hongfan (Shang Dynasty Records) records the king questioning the consulting of commoners on policy. The Poem - Book A of the Son of Heaven and Commoners says commoners farm in peace and soldier in war, a main force in Qin society. The title of shuren (commoner) came from Zhou, while shuzhang managed agriculture and soldiers. Lin Jianhong thinks shuzhang reflects Qin land ownership, its base in yuantian (system of land redistribution)(7). Early Qin commoners were mixed Zhou survivors and Qin lower class; i.e., farmers on redistributed land, their status like later dynasties, except their land ownership was unclear because they emigrated to new land distribution.
Change from interacting Zhou and Qin production resembles "barbarians" entering the Roman Empire, when people combined Roman slavery with the German village system. It relaxed tension between Late Zhou classes and public and private conflict, and relations between lord and subject, boosting farmers' interest in their farms. Changed relationships and excellent central Shaanxi natural conditions aided growth of Qin agriculture, economy, technology and culture.
The Qin continued and improved the Zhou system, with Zhou survivors greatly contributing to Qin agriculture. This should be made very clear.