YOU, Xiuling, Zhejiang University of Agriculture, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, PR CHINA.
(Collected Studies of Agricultural History 1999:345-349. Transl. by Xi Zhang; interpr./ed. by B. Gordon)
1) Hama in ancient Qing and Han books and in modern Chinese oral and written language is a kind of frog or toad. It is also synonymous for ancient Baiyue people, who were influenced by Han culture. Toad and frog later differentiate, but contemporary Zhejiang and Fujian people retain hama in their dialects, but it seems to be the oldest term for frog.
2) Rice cultivation provides a wonderful natural hama ecotone. In spring, ancient farmers ploughed the paddy field, then flooded to flatten it for sowing, creating an ideal situation for hama eggs and helping tadpole growth, but also attracting many insects, which became their food. Thus, hama protected the rice to maturation under a symbiotic system when ancient farmers lacked pesticide.
3) Many ancient references cite the rice-frog association; e.g., 5th & 6th periods of the 24 solar calendar is S China's rainy season when irrigation water is needed, and paddy bullfrogs croaked loudly to attract females, a situation suggesting frogs bringing rain were immortal. Both Han and National Minority poems, folk songs and legends tie frogs with bumper crops. Hangzhou people mimicked the ancient frog call as tianji, and farmers in the 5th solar period focussed on it to ensure bumper crops. In fact, Tianji Records say "if the frog sings before midday, highland gets much rain. If it sings after noon, lowland is unflooded." This is recorded in another ancient Jiangxi book. Modern scientists say frog skin is sensitive to humidity. Under high humidity, frogs croak before midday before rain, but if they croak after noon, it may not rain. With nightfall, rain or not, bullfrogs sing to mate, as in an early legend. Ming Dynasty Li Shizhen's Herbal Records say "farmers assess crop size by interpreting hama's song, whether early or late, strong or weak." Arriving home at midnight, South Song Dynasty poet Xin Qiji described a beautiful charming night when he heard bullfrogs croaking midst bumper crops. As Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Xiaobiao also eulogized the hama-rice tie, we can retrace how people interpreted hama to determine bumper crops.
4) Frogs hibernate in winter, reactivating in spring. Their croaking after rain symbolizes a bumper crop, as seen in many Chinese provincial sayings: Zhejiang's "Frog croaks, bumper crop"; Guangxi's "Frog croaks at Qingming (5th solar term), farmer sows at Guyu (6th solar term)"; Guangdong's "Don't sell your rice seed, sow when frog croaks", and Hubei's "It's best for first sowing when frog croaks." But sometimes it's not best to sow if frogs croak in an early warm spring; e.g., Zhejiang's "When frog croaks suddenly in hibernation, rice must be seeded thrice."
5) As weather changes, sometimes too much rain, sometimes too little, ancient farmers hoped frogs could obtain rain in dry season. Western Han Dynasty's Dong Zhongshu recorded the rain ceremony, mentioning special material to make a big dragon, eight small dragons, eight children, farmer, etc. After five frogs were placed in 2/3 m water, the rain ceremony was danced over 2000 years ago, but didn't become widespread until 1930 years ago; e.g., Zhejiang farmers put several frogs in a pool for the dry season ceremony.
6) Rich copper and tin smelting to make bronze in middle and W Yunnan Province inspired some Spring & Autumn and Warring States Minorities to establish a Bronze Drum culture. The drum with its spirit combining sowing and harvesting spread over Yunnan, but also Thailand, Burma and Indonesia, its rarest appearance that of a cast rectangular figure of a frog under each corner for each Thunder God; e.g., Guangxi's "Thunder God most afraid of frog because latter suppresses it." Yunnan's Wa Minority said the frogs also represent rain: "The frog croaks loudly, people feel happy", while the Dai Minority said "April rain makes frog croak happily, and is more important than honey." Burma's Kexin Minority retains rain drumming, but also sing: "frogs croak in rain, fish enjoy rain and river rises after rain....., bringing bumper crop to the country." Local people use the "Frog Drum" to call the Bronze Drum.
7) Early 20th century researchers studied Bronze Drum type and spread in the Malay Archipelago, while Austrian H.R. van Heekeren saw it respected on an Indonesian island, although it was introduced with Western Island rice harvesting. He describes drums on 9 islands with 4 bronze frogs, saying they are "rain makers", an obvious Chinese translation via the Qing Dynasty Baiyue importing rice harvesting to Malaya along with the frog legend.
8) That ancient hunters ate frogs is unsurprising since they took large and small animals, but their role in insect control should have overrided their hunting, a difficult historical contradiction which rose later, as people also fed tadpoles to chickens and ducks, reducing frog population. Famous herbal doctor and medical scientist Li Shizheng also advocated eating frogs: "different frogs have the same effect, but April frogs are more delicious and May frogs are used medicinally". An ancient Zhejiang book said: "frogs differ, but only the frog with the green vein on the skin can be eaten in autumn." Others advocated protecting frogs; e.g.s, Song Dynasty's Zhejiang officer Qian Wentong prohibited catching and eating frogs, but people continued after he retired; officer Ma Yuzhai sternly prohibited catching and eating frogs, but one group (A) wishing to entrap group B told it to put frogs into a winter melon to sell outside the city. When A informed officials, B was arrested.
9) As frogs include very different types, it's unknown what ancient hama was, or whether its insect prey was injurious or not. Zhang Xiuji (1966) comprehensively and systematically analyzed the diet of 22 Yiwu, Leqing, Kaihua, Qingyuan, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Dongyang, etc., frogs and their possible prey of the caterpillar, mole cricket, ant, aphid, snail, mosquito, fly and its larva (82% of all edible insects). Only 5.16% were beneficial and show the frog as more beneficial. 19 paddy frog types are the big hama, black frame hama, marshland and black vein (common frog), while hill and pool types are the Chinese rain frog, Sangang rain frog and little arc spotted frog. The "beneficial coefficient" of hama & black frame hama exceeds 90.14 & 71.88%, while the Chinese and Sangang rain frogs and little arc spotted frog exceed 71.35, 93.99 & 97.84%.
10) To counteract frogs caught illegally or killed by agricultural chemicals, their eggs and tadpoles are raised in aquatic breeding farms to 1", then released for use in 30-100 acre farms. Despite chemical killoff, short-term marketing benefits override protection, endangering future frog benefits.
11) The ancient harmonious symbiosis of human, rice and frog engendered fairy tales, legends and the Bronze Drum conception of "expect a bumper crop when the frog croaks". But overpopulation and short-term goals smother this charming landscape little by little. As environmental problems continue, it's time to protect the environment.
(Chinese Rice. May, 1996)