Text | Laugh at Shi Yunyan
Edit | Laugh at Shi Yunyan
In the history of the mainland, the land of China has witnessed countless natural and man-made disasters.
And in these disasters, the most innocent civilians are often the first to bear the brunt, and their suffering is so great that it is painful to sigh.
Whether it is the ruthlessness of nature or the tragedy of human beings, they have left a deep imprint on Chinese history.
01
The Western Han Dynasty was undoubtedly a powerful dynasty in Chinese history, and the submission of the Xiongnu and the annexation of the Western Regions were strong proof of its military strength.
However, the wheels of history are rolling forward, and even such a powerful dynasty cannot resist the erosion of time and the erosion of internal contradictions.
At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, internal and external troubles were intertwined, land annexation was serious, the contradictions between the powerful forces and the central government became increasingly acute, and the class contradictions intensified to the extreme.
In this context, Wang Mang gradually emerged with his illustrious family background, noble character and political talents, and his image was in stark contrast to the decadence of the late dynasty, and his filial piety to his elders, preferential treatment of his juniors, and benevolence to the people made him extremely prestigious both inside and outside the government and the opposition.
Wang Mang's power rose day by day, and finally reached the point where he could influence the government.
His remarks that the fate of the Western Han Dynasty had been exhausted were echoed by nobles and commoners, and everyone expected him to lead everyone to new glory.
Wang Mang finally established a new dynasty, and it was widely believed that he would open a new chapter in history.
However, the reality is harsh.
During his reign, Wang Mang sought to restore the ancient rites of the Zhou dynasty and tried to strengthen the legitimacy of his rule through a series of reforms, but these policies ran counter to the trend of the times.
From the change of place names and official titles to the attempt to restore the well field system, Wang Mang's reforms caused confusion and inconvenience to the people, and these measures did not win the hearts of the people, but caused widespread resentment.
A more immediate impact was Wang Mang's currency reform, a failed economic policy that led to inflation and exacerbated people's living difficulties.
He tried to reclaim the land and break the huge chain of interests of the landlords, which naturally aroused strong opposition from the landlord class.
Far from consolidating Wang Mang's rule, the failure of these reforms led to a joint revolt of the landlords and peasants, peasant uprisings were in full swing in various places, and local tycoons began to look for new political support, leaving the foundation of the new dynasty's rule in jeopardy.
02
Wang Mang tried to overthrow the thousand-year-old feudal system and implemented a series of radical reforms.
His original intention was indeed out of love and vision for the country, trying to find a way to stabilize society and alleviate people's suffering in the turbulent times.
However, his reform plan ignored the actual situation of Chinese society at that time, was too idealistic and divorced from the actual needs of the people.
Wang Mang's path to reform has not been smooth, and although his policies may have been forward-looking in theory, they have encountered tremendous resistance and difficulties in their implementation.
He lacks a deep understanding of the real situation at all levels of society and fails to truly understand the aspirations and needs of the population.
More importantly, the high degree of centralization of power in his rule made him reluctant to listen to the opinions of others when implementing reforms, and as a result, he not only failed to alleviate social contradictions, but rather exacerbated them.
Wang Mang's failure was not only due to his reform policies, but also due to the frequent occurrence of natural disasters.
During Wang Mang's fifteen-year reign, the Central Plains suffered from a number of natural disasters, coupled with the spread of plague, and the population dropped dramatically.
Although Wang Mang tried to provide disaster relief and rescue the people, due to the conditions of the times and his own ability, his measures failed to effectively alleviate the suffering of the people.
What's more serious is that Wang Mang made a mistake in the border battle.
In order to suppress the war on the frontier, he mobilized soldiers from the Central Plains to fight, but unexpectedly, the plague spread rapidly among the army, resulting in a large number of casualties among the soldiers.
According to historical records, during Wang Mang's reign, the population of the Central Plains plummeted from 60 million to only 20 million, and the entire society was almost on the verge of collapse.
In 23 A.D., his fate came to an end.
Angry people stormed the palace, and Wang Mang was killed in the chaos. The scene of his death was extremely tragic, and the hatred of the people towards him reached the extreme.
Wang Mang's head was hung in the market, and people scolded and beat him, and some even cut off his meat to vent their anger.
This extremely violent scene not only shows the boiling of public resentment caused by the failure of Wang Mang's policies, but also reflects the social turmoil and the despair of the people at that time.
The fate of the dynasty is often closely related to the hearts of the people, and after Wang Mang lost the hearts of the people, the collapse of the new dynasty seemed inevitable.
The demise of the new dynasty was not simply the result of a failed reform, but a direct consequence of the excessive concentration of power and the lack of a system of checks and balances in the feudal era.
If those in power make the wrong decision, it can lead to a national catastrophe.
In the end, Wang Mang's new dynasty lasted only 16 years, and the pace of its end coincided with the radical nature of its reforms.
As a result, the new dynasty became one of the shortest-lived dynasties in Chinese history, and a case study of the importance of thoughtful reforms and checks and balances in later generations.
After all, even the noblest ideals must be rooted in the actual national conditions and public opinion before they can blossom and bear fruit.
03
In ancient times, the mainland also experienced large and small natural disasters, such as the Guanzhong earthquake in the Ming Dynasty.
The natural disaster, known as the Jiajing Earthquake or the Shanxi Earthquake, killed an estimated 830,000 people, making it the deadliest earthquake in history.
Although hundreds of years have passed, we have been able to paint a full picture of the disaster through documents left behind by the Ming Dynasty and modern archaeological research.
On the night of December 12, the 34th year of Jiajing, that is, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. modern time, most people were already asleep under the curfew.
According to the description of the anonymous "Earthquake Record" on the "Bixia Yuanjun Our Lady of the Official's Monument": "Suddenly there was an earthquake, like wind and thunder, and the population was shocked. ”
In the midst of panic and chaos, people wake up and try to flee, often in vain.
The impact of the Shanxi-Shaanxi earthquake was extremely wide, except for the two provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi that were hit hard, according to the "Earthquake Record": "Henan is slightly lighter, Shanxi is extremely heavy, and other provinces are slightly moved. ”
This shows that the earthquake affected the north and south of Zhili, as well as Huguang, Liangguang and other places at that time, and the tremor was felt throughout most of China.
Geography was an important factor in the heavy toll of the earthquake.
Guanzhong is located on the alluvial plain of the Fen River and Wei River basins, where the soil is loose, the groundwater level is high, and the local residents mostly live in the fragile structure of the caves, once an earthquake occurs, the caves are easy to collapse, and it is difficult for residents to escape in time.
Qin Keda described this situation in his "Earthquake Record": "As for the cave dwellers, the people in the valley, many families were crushed to death, and few escaped. ”
Based on the geological investigation in Weinan, scientists deduced that the magnitude of the Jiajing Guanzhong earthquake was above 8, and the epicenter was located in Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province, at 34.5 degrees north latitude and 109.7 degrees east longitude.
The intensity of the epicenter reached XI., the depth of the epicenter was 20 to 40 kilometers, and an area of 280,000 square kilometers was affected.
In an era when there was no modern early warning system, the sudden attack and devastating consequences of the Guanzhong earthquake had a profound impact on society and history at the time.
Hundreds of years later, we can still feel the shock and grief of that night from these historical materials, as well as the profound imprint it left on Chinese history.
04
The destructiveness of an earthquake is not only reflected in the shaking of the earth's crust, but also in the chain reaction it triggers, such as social upheaval, economic recession and panic in people's hearts.
In an agrarian society, the death of a large number of livestock was a serious blow to productivity, and earthquake disasters during this period were not uncommon, so much so that earthquakes occurred almost every month for the first five years of Zhengde.
Historical data show that from the Ming Dynasty for about 200 years, there were earthquakes almost every year, and these frequent seismic activities undoubtedly exacerbated the social turmoil in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, laying the groundwork for the military operations of the Wanli Three Great Expeditions and the emptiness of the treasury.
Secondary disasters in the aftermath of earthquakes, such as famine, plague and floods, also tested the resilience of ancient Chinese society.
However, the Ming government did not let this plunge into long-term chaos, on the contrary, they took a series of proactive measures to deal with the disaster and did their best to avoid further unrest.
This includes rituals to appease the people, sending officials for disaster relief, allocating relief, exempting taxes, paying salaries from officials, prohibiting atrocities to pacify the population, rebuilding damaged buildings, attracting displaced people to resettle, and encouraging people to help themselves.
The emperor of the Ming Dynasty also encouraged hundreds of officials to write criticism, a move derived from the theory of heaven and man induction advocated by Dong Zhongshu, and the emperor would reflect on the disaster, believing that it was his own way of governing the country that caused the natural disaster, so it needed to be reflected and corrected.
We can see that despite the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, ancient Chinese society still showed great adaptability and resilience.
Myths and legends in the culture, such as Dayu controlling water, Kuafu chasing the sun, Jingwei reclamation, Yugong moving mountains, Houyi shooting the sun, and Nuwa mending the sky, are all manifestations of the Chinese people's indomitable spirit of overcoming natural disasters.
These legends are not only a celebration of the past, but also an inspiration for future efforts.
All provinces in China have been devastated by earthquakes, with more than 10 million people recorded dead from earthquakes, a number comparable to the death toll of world wars.
Every time a strong earthquake disaster is like a war without gunpowder, giving people a profound shock and reflection.
In the face of these disasters, the humility and insignificance of human beings are fully revealed, but in the same way, the resistance and victory of human beings in the face of natural disasters also demonstrate the resilience and wisdom of human nature.
Today, although our technology has far surpassed that of the ancients, human beings still need humility and awe in the face of the forces of nature.
Through the mirror of history, we can see that every disaster is a test of human will to fight, and it is also a challenge to human wisdom and social organization.
Throughout the ages, Chinese have continued to learn and Xi grow in the fight against disasters, and these experiences and lessons are worth remembering and passing on.