The Ancient Ida System: The Beautiful Fantasy of Slavery?
In the long history of ancient China, the well field system, as a unique land system, once occupied an important position. This system emerged from the Shang Dynasty and matured by the Western Zhou Dynasty, which had a profound impact on the social structure and economic life of the time. However, there have always been different opinions about the nature and function of the Ida system, and some scholars have even called it "the beautiful fantasy of slavery". So, what was the ancient Ida system all about, and why is there such an evaluation?
The Jingtian system, in short, is a system of land state ownership in ancient Chinese society. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the land was divided into squares shaped like the word "well" by criss-crossing roads and channels, hence the name "Jingtian". These well fields were nominally owned by the king of Zhou, but in fact they were cultivated and used by the common people. The lord did not have the right to buy, sell and transfer the well field, and had to pay a certain tribute to the king of Zhou every year. In the operation of the well field system, the lords forced the common people to cultivate collectively, with private land around the perimeter and public land in the middle. The income from the private land went to the cultivators, while the income from the public land was all handed over to the nobility.
The emergence of this land system has its profound historical background. During the Shang Dynasty, the status of agriculture gradually rose, and merchants realized the importance of land and began to practice intensive agriculture. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, in order to maintain social stability and consolidate his rule, the king of Zhou adopted the land policy of the Jingtian system. Through the distribution of land and the collection of tribute, the Zhou king was able to ensure the economic interests of the nobles and the basic livelihood of the common people, thus achieving social harmony and stability.
However, does the Ida system really work as perfectly as it would have liked? Although the well field system theoretically divides land into public and private parts, in practice, the boundary between public and private land is not always clear. In addition, there was a certain degree of unfairness in the distribution of land and the collection of tribute under the Ida system, which also led to dissatisfaction and rebellion among the common people. In addition, the restrictions on the sale and transfer of land under the well field system have also hindered the circulation of land and economic development to a certain extent.
Why, then, is the Ida system a beautiful fantasy of slavery? This is mainly due to the close connection between the Ida system and slavery. In a slave society, the aristocracy had a large number of slaves as labor, and these slaves performed heavy labor on the nobles' estates or well fields. The existence of the well field system provided a stable source of land and labor security for the aristocracy, making it easier for them to run their own estates or well fields. Therefore, the well field system is to a certain extent a manifestation of the slave economy.
However, the Ida system was not the whole story of slavery. In a slave society, in addition to the land system of the well field system, there were many other forms of exploitation and oppression. For example, the aristocracy was also able to acquire land and wealth through warfare and plunder, which were often not included in the scope of the well field system. Therefore, it is clearly an oversimplification to see the Ida system as the whole or core of slavery.
In addition, as a land system, there are many problems and contradictions in the well field system. For example, the implementation of the well field system requires strict supervision and management, but it is often difficult to achieve in practice. At the same time, there is a certain degree of subjectivity and unfairness in the distribution of land and the collection of tribute under the well field system, which also leads to social contradictions and conflicts.
To sum up, although the ancient well field system maintained social stability and the interests of the aristocracy to a certain extent, it also had many problems and contradictions. To see it as a beautiful fantasy of slavery ignores both the complexity and diversity of slave society and the limitations and flaws of the Ida system itself. Therefore, we should look at the ancient well field system from a more objective and comprehensive perspective, not only to see its role and significance in the society at that time, but also to see its existing problems and limitations. Only in this way can we better understand the history and development of ancient societies. Like and support, pay attention and don't get lost, welcome to leave a message to discuss!