At the recent meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, a beautiful vision of "harmonious coexistence between man and nature" was put forward. In the long-term practice and research of China's ancient ancestors, they have a greater understanding of biodiversity very early on, and it is recorded in a vast number of classics.
Detailed description of Chinese species
In the Yin Ruins Oracle Bone Dictionary, there are many records and classifications of ancient animal and plant names. For example, the words "pheasant", chicken, finches, phoenixes and other words related to birds are from the shape of "good". Most of the cereals concerned are grass-shaped. Worms and silkworms are all shaped from "worms". Various fish are used for shape representation. It can be seen that as far back as the early days of human society, our ancestors already had the rudiments of understanding the classification of insects, fish, birds and animals. After the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, some works on animals and plants appeared. For example, the Classic of Mountains and Seas not only lists the names of animals and plants in various places, but also describes their morphological characteristics and uses. The Book of Poetry is the earliest collection of poetry in China, and its verses contain a large number of animal and plant names, such as: hemp, grain, mulberry, sunflower, chrysanthemum, jujube, rice, wine, melon, pot, dip, millet, grass, grass, leek and so on. Confucius once said that studying the Book of Poetry can "learn more about the names of birds, animals, plants and trees." During the Three Kingdoms period, Wu Ren Lu Jie's "Mao Shi Grass, Wood, Birds, Animals, Insects, Fish and Thinning" is a work dedicated to the annotation of the animals and plants involved in the Book of Poetry, and is known as "China's first monograph on animals and plants". In addition, such as the "Erya" completed in the Western Han Dynasty, there are "Shi Cao", "Shi Mu", "Shi Worm", "Shi Fish", "Shi Bird", "Shi Beast", "Shi Animal" and other articles that specifically explain the names of animals and plants, using grass, wood, insects, fish, birds, beasts, and animals to summarize the species of the entire animal and plant kingdom, which is an important achievement in the classification of ancient animals and plants. The Book of Birds is an ornithological treatise that appeared during the Tang and Song dynasties, including more than 70 species of birds, including naming, morphology, species, living habits, ecology and other contents. The Song Dynasty's "Genealogy" lists a total of 11 kinds of edible mushrooms, detailing the growth, harvesting, shape and color and taste of each kind of mushrooms, which is the world's earliest monograph on edible mushrooms. The Ming Dynasty's "Fujian Zhonghai Staggered Dredging", a total of more than 200 kinds of Fujian marine animals, is the earliest monograph on marine animals in China. The Qing Dynasty's "Botanical Names and Facts Tu Kao", divided into 12 categories such as grain, vegetable, mountain grass, limited grass, stone grass, aquatic grass, vine grass, poisonous grass, Qunfang, thatch, fruit, wood, etc., a total of 1714 species of plants, the plant origin involves China's current 19 provinces, is the largest regional flora in ancient China.
The way of the sages who coexisted with all things
China's ancient literature not only records a rich variety of animals and plants, but also has a lot of incisive exposition on the significance of biodiversity and the protection and utilization of biodiversity. Regarding the necessity of the existence of biodiversity, the Zhongyong says: "All things breed together without harming each other, and the Tao is parallel and not contradictory." That is, it is believed that everything in the world has its own reason for its occurrence and development, and every thing has its own reason for existence and the law of development, and does not hinder each other. The emphasis on biodiversity is also reflected in respect for all things in nature. Taoists believe that all things are equal, "In the Taoist view, things are not precious." From the point of view of things, it is self-noble and lowly. That is to say, from the perspective of the "Tao", all things are born equal, and there is no distinction between superior and inferior, and the difference between noble and inferior, and the difference between noble and inferior in the world, is only a person's self-feeling. "Zhuangzi Qiushui" also said, "Counting the four seas between heaven and earth is also not like the foil void in Osawahu?" Counting China in the sea, is it not like rice in Okura? The number of trumpets and things is said to be tens of thousands, and the number of people is ,...... This is better than all things, not like the horse body of the horse?" This means that man is only a very small member of the universe and is not the lord of all things as human beings think they are. These naïve materialist views are more in line with the main theme of "harmonious coexistence between man and nature" put forward by the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference. The use of biodiversity in ancient China is also manifested in the prevention and control of agricultural disasters. People recognize the different disaster resistance of some species, and they choose a variety of crop varieties according to the specific conditions of the climate and soil in various places. For example, in the northern region, there is more drought and less rain, and there are many winds and dryness, and 24 kinds of wind-resistant varieties are recorded in the Qi Min Yao Shu, and the selection of these varieties has laid the foundation for dry farming in northern China. For example, in response to insect infestations, it has been observed that some birds like locusts and other insects, and the government has issued a decree to protect these beneficial birds. The "Song Shi Wu Xing Zhi" records that "the egret eats locusts, and it is forbidden to catch the quail". In the Yuan Dynasty, people found that locusts "pecked at the birds on the ground, and the flyers killed them with their wings, and it was forbidden to catch the birds." "The effect of eliminating insect infestations has been achieved. These historical sources prove that at that time people had learned the truth that things in nature restrained each other. The records of these large numbers of documents in ancient times not only prove that China has been one of the countries with the richest biodiversity in the world since ancient times, but also very important for the research and development of modern biology in the world.
About the Author
Ji Liping: Former editor-in-chief of Science and Technology Tide and Talent Magazine. He is currently the vice president of the Beijing Municipal Theoretical Research Association of the China Democratic League, and the president of the Tongzhou District Theoretical Research Association of the China Democratic League. He is a member of the China Popular Science Writers Association and the Beijing Writers Association.
There are 4 monographs such as "China's Lower Tide", and 5 single-episode TV series such as "The Old Man Watching the Car" created by him were broadcast on CCTV's "Sunset Red" column. He has won the honor of 100 good books recommended by the State Administration of Press, Radio, Film and Television to young people across the country, and has won a number of national and Beijing good news awards, literary works awards, and project paper awards.