Mr. Ji Xianlin's "History of Sugar" quotes many allusions to the consumption of sugar cane by people before the Tang Dynasty. For example, Cao Zhi's "Although the cane is sweet, the staff will be folded" has been passed down. Cao Pi also had the words "Eat dry cane and think it is a staff" that has been handed down.
When we were young, we ate sugar cane and often used sugar cane as a weapon to fight. Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, like when we were children, also like to nibble on dried cane (the ancient text is so), and also like to play with dried cane.
Cao Zhi film and television image, picture from the network, thanks to the original author.
Sugarcane is a very widely distributed plant, and China is one of the origins of sugarcane. Chinese has a long history of eating sugarcane as a fruit, and The history of making sugar cane sugar in China is also very long. Chinese made sucrose, which was originally "cane pulp".
The earliest written syrup is from the Chu Ci. Summoning Spirits". Chinese in the pre-Qin period, there was a technology for boiling cane pulp. In the Sui Dynasty, the technical level of sucrose was still in the syrup stage.
In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Master Xuanzang traveled west to Tianzhu to learn the culture of Tianzhu and also spread Chinese culture to Tianzhu. Master Xuanzang's propaganda gave rise to a chinese cultural upsurge in Tianzhu. The kings of Tianzhu sent missions to China to establish diplomatic relations with China.
Master Xuanzang film and television image, picture from the network, thanks to the original author.
New Book of Tang. The 146th Book of The Book of Revelations says: "Maha, a Magadha, is a vassal of the Heavenly Zhu in this book. In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan, the emissaries were sent to the Son of Heaven to offer the Baltic tree and the tree type poplar. ”
The "Polo tree" in the ancient text is the pineapple tree. In addition to offering pineapple trees to Tang Taizong, Mogata also offered brown sugar and white sugar. Brown sugar is the primary extract of sugarcane, and white sugar is purified brown sugar. Before the Indians offered brown sugar and white sugar to Tang Taizong, China's sucrose was in a state of slurry.
After tasting the sweet brown sugar and white sugar, Li Shimin immediately admitted that China did not have such a sugar refining technology. Li Shimin made a request to the Magadha envoys to send a mission to India to learn the art of sugar refining. The Magadha mission agreed to Li Shimin's request, and Li Shimin immediately sent emissaries to India to learn sugar refining techniques.
This incident is from the New Book of Tang. Liechuan 146, the original text is: "Emperor Taizong sent envoys to take the method of boiling sugar, that is, the cane on the Zhaoyang Prefecture, and the Shen Shen was like its agent, and the color and taste were far far more western." ”
Li Shimin film and television image, picture from the network, thanks to the original author.
The Envoys of datang returned from studying in India and learned the Indian sugar refining technology. Li Shimin immediately ordered Yangzhou to pay tribute to sugarcane, and the emissaries who returned from studying abroad used Indian sugar refining technology to boil brown sugar and white sugar. China's sugar refining technology was originally inferior to that of the Western Regions. After the introduction of Indian sugar alchemy, the quality of Chinese white sugar surpassed the quality of western sucrose.
In order to learn India's sugar refining technology, China also fought a sugar war with India. The protagonist of the story is named Wang Xuance, who was ordered by Emperor Taizong of Tang to lead a delegation to India to learn sugar making technology. India was fragmented at the time, and the Magadha state was willing to teach Sugar Making technology to China.
Zhongtianzhu's AlonaShun was reluctant to make friends with the Tang Dynasty and plundered Wang Xuance's mission. Wang Xuance, enraged, gathered the armies of the Tang friends and captured Alonashun alive. Today's focus is not on discussing war, and Wang Xuance's destruction of Zhongtianzhu will not be said more.
When Li Shimin was in the dynasty, he had the majesty of the "Heavenly Khan" and could also humbly learn foreign technology. As long as the imperial subjects of the Tang Dynasty found that foreign things were better than Chinese things, they could pull down the shelf to learn their techniques. If you look at the "Book of the Old and New Tang Dynasties", you will find that there are many imperial subjects of the Tang Dynasty who learned foreign technology and introduced historical materials of foreign products.
For example, the countries of the Western Regions paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty with two fruits, golden peach and silver peach. Li Shimin found that these two fruits were delicious, and immediately "ordered the plant garden". Under the leadership of Li Shimin, the Tang Dynasty imported a large number of products and technologies from the Western Regions and the countries of Tianzhu, Goryeo and Wunu.
The Tang Empire has a hundred rivers and a great tolerance, and has achieved the prosperity of "opening the palace in nine days, and the crown of all nations is crowned". Datang Shengshi exported technology and also introduced a large number of foreign technologies, which greatly improved the living standards of Chinese and prospered national strength. The simplest example is the introduction of Indian sugar refining technology, which has greatly increased China's sugar production and allowed Chinese to live a sweet life.
Writing this, I am reminded of the Qianlong Emperor. Like Li Shimin, the Qianlong Emperor had the majesty of the Heavenly Son of heaven, but he did not have the mind of Li Shimin. Specific examples can be found in the Qing-Burma War and the Events of the Macartney Mission.
Between 1762 and 1769, there were four major wars between the Qing Dynasty and Burma. The Burmese army made extensive use of muskets and artillery imported from the West, which caused the Qing army to suffer a big loss. The Qing generals who participated in the war asked the Qianlong Emperor to introduce foreign guns and cannons. The Qianlong Emperor stubbornly believed that "riding and shooting is the foundation of the establishment of the state" and refused to introduce foreign guns and cannons.
In 1793, on the pretext of congratulating the Qianlong Emperor on his eightieth birthday, the British sent Macartney as a representative to lead a delegation to visit China. After Ma Garni arrived in China, he presented gifts such as muskets, gunboat models, telescopes, and globes to the Qianlong Emperor. The Qianlong Emperor scoffed at the British mission, believing it to be a "kit kat trick." The Qianlong Emperor refused gifts from the British mission on the grounds that China's products were abundant and there was no need for feudal devotion.
If Li Shimin was in the position of the Qianlong Emperor, with his mind of a hundred rivers, during the Qing-Burma War, foreign guns and cannons would be introduced.
If Li Shimin was in the position of the Qianlong Emperor, with his broad mind, when Ma Jiaerni visited China, he would laugh at the British gifts.
If Li Shimin had been in the position of the Qianlong Emperor, with his broad mind, he would have definitely sent a delegation to study in Britain to learn advanced technology.
If Li Shimin had been in the position of the Qianlong Emperor, with his broad mind, China would have entered the ranks of the Industrial Revolution, and the situation of being backward and beaten after the Opium War could be avoided.
Li Shimin preceded the Qianlong Emperor by more than a thousand years, but he had the mind of a hundred rivers. The Qianlong Emperor and Washington were contemporaries, but they wanted face and refused to allow industrial civilization to enter China.
There is no harm without comparison, and if you compare the "rule of Zhenguan" with the "prosperous era of Kangqian", you will find that there is a huge gap between the Qianlong Emperor and Li Shimin.
References for this article: Professor Yu Gengzhe of the Department of History of Shaanxi Normal University Video Open Class "The Daily Life of Sui and Tang Dynasties".
The historical sources of this article: "History of Sugar", "Inflection Point of National Fortune", "New and Old Two Tang Books", "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty".
This article was originally written by Wang Fuxing. Code words are not easy, please respect the original, unauthorized, reproduction is strictly prohibited. I have signed a contract with a rights protection company to entrust a rights protection company to protect my rights. Unauthorized reprinters, the rights protection company will defend the rights on behalf of the person.