If you crossed over to the Song Dynasty and had a bowl of beef in front of you, would you dare to eat it?
The Song Dynasty is arguably one of the most controversial and topical dynasties in Chinese history.
First of all, the Song Dynasty was one of the few dynasties with incomplete territory, whether it was the Northern Song Dynasty or the Southern Song Dynasty, which was invaded by the northern nomads.
Territory of the Song Dynasty
Secondly, the Song Dynasty was the most prosperous era in China's history, with economy, culture and education, reaching the peak of feudal society.
Chen Yinke, a famous historian, said: "The culture of the Chinese nation has evolved over thousands of years and was created in the world of Zhao and Song dynasties.
So in the Song Dynasty, there were many differences with the ancients in our memory.
The bustling street market of the Song Dynasty depicted in the Qingming Upper River Map
Today, let's go deep into the streets and alleys of the Song Dynasty to see if we could eat beef that was strictly forbidden in other dynastic governments if we crossed over to the Song Dynasty.
Ancient Chinese society has always been a feudal society based on agriculture. As the most important labor force for agricultural labor, cattle have always occupied an important position in ancient society. Various dynasties also explicitly prohibited the slaughter of cattle in various laws and regulations.
Speaking of which, China is the first country in the world to incorporate protected animals into law, and the protected animals are mainly economic animals such as cattle and horses.
In the Book of Rites and The Royal System, it is recorded: "Princes do not kill cattle for no reason, doctors do not kill sheep for no reason, soldiers do not kill dogs and pigs for no reason, and common people do not eat treasures for no reason." This sentence implies the ancient feudal hierarchy, from the princes to the common people have a strict hierarchy, and the diet is also very different.
Slave society was hierarchical
It is also clear from this that even the highest-ranking princes cannot slaughter cattle for no reason.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the protection of cattle was very strict.
The Stable Law stipulates that cattle are judged in April, July, October and New Year. If the cattle are emaciated due to overwork, the principal is punished by ten floggings.
The ancients cultivated the land
In order to protect cultivated cattle during the Sui and Tang dynasties, the legislation clearly stipulated that if a cow committed suicide without permission, he would be imprisoned for at least one and a half years.
It is recorded in the "Tang Laws and Neglect Discussions" that the officials and private horses and cattle are of great use, and the cattle are the basis for cultivating crops, and the horses are supplied to the army, so the killers are apprenticed for one and a half years.
But in the Song Dynasty, things became different. The Song Penal Code stipulates: "Therefore, those who kill officials and private horses and cattle, please cut off the rod for twenty years, and release it for one year everywhere." Whoever kills his own horse and cattle and the mule and donkey of the official privately, and breaks the staff of the seventeenth."
It can be seen that at the level of the government and the law, killing cattle is also illegal. But we have all seen "Water Margin", the book describes the heroes and good men, at every turn is two pounds of beef three two wine, eat meat and drink wine in a big bowl, which is true?
The good man of Shuihu eats beef in a big mouthful
First of all, the slaughter of cattle is not allowed in successive dynasties, referring to young and strong cattle, such as sick cattle and old cattle that can be slaughtered.
With the approval of the government, sick and old cattle can be slaughtered, but for each kill, cow skin, tendons, and horns are paid, because these are strategic materials used to make weapons.
Secondly, it is not allowed to slaughter cultivated cattle without permission, which does not mean that there is no beef to sell. During the Song Dynasty, there was already a black industrial chain of private slaughtering of cattle and selling meat to make money.
The "Song Huijiao" records that the price of building a cow is only five or seven thousand, the meat of a cow is not less than two or three hundred catties, and the value of each kilogram of meat needs to be a hundred dollars.
Selling a live cow is four or five times worse than the profit from slaughtering a cow!
How can such a high profit not attract a large number of people to join this industry?
Therefore, in the Song Dynasty, the cattle slaughtering industry was actually very prosperous, and some people also took advantage of this to go to the peak of their lives and earn a lot of silver.
Obviously, the law explicitly prohibits the slaughter of cattle, so why did the Song Dynasty people wantonly? Let's analyze it slowly.
Song Dynasty street market
1. Economic and social development has led to a sharp increase in the number of cattle cultivated cattle
As mentioned earlier, the two Song Dynasties were the peak period of china's social and economic development, and the long-term relatively stable life enabled the people to recuperate and recuperate, and the number of cattle cultivated in the Song Dynasty increased rapidly, which was also the premise of eating beef.
2. Changes in irrigation facilities and agricultural tools
The Northern Song government twice promoted "stepping plows" in areas where there was a shortage of cultivated cattle. "Stepping on the plough" is a good tool for human soil turning, and the effect of four or five laborers is equivalent to half of the efficiency of cattle farming. This has played a certain role in solving the difficulties of farming in areas with insufficient animal power.
During the Song Dynasty, all kinds of iron agricultural tools, such as ploughs, rakes, rakes, hoes, sickles, etc., were particularly large in number by farmers. This shows the importance that farmers attach to intensive farming and the increase in farming procedures. Northern Song farmers also paid great attention to fertilizer accumulation and fertilization, further increasing yields.
Ancient agricultural tools
3. Government acquiescence
During the Song Dynasty, central officials inspected and found that not only were there beef sellers in remote small places, but also in large cities such as Luoyang to Kaifeng, beef was sold all along the way, but the vast majority of local officials tacitly pretended to be blind and also set up a beef tax.
In the "Song Hui Zhi Zhi", it is recorded that "there are many people who eat beef". Hu Ying, a famous minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, also mentioned in "Slaughtering Cattle when the Law Is Implemented": "Cattle are things, and crops are cultivated... From the beginning of the border to the nearest, between the shops, it is openly sold, and the city is also full of gushing. The villain is unscrupulous, as far as this is concerned. "
Song Renzong
Until the time of Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhang Zhouwu of Laizhou, Shandong Province, wrote to Emperor Renzong: "Officials forbade the slaughter of cattle, and there is a document of calculation next to the state farm tax." "
By this time, the beef tax had been collected for nearly 70 years, and Song Renzong could no longer pretend to be blind and ordered it to be banned.
But the matter of eating meat is still secretly going on...
So if you wake up and travel to the Song Dynasty, with beef in front of you, don't panic, although it is illegal, you can also eat it slowly and enjoy this delicacy.