亦農亦商

亦農亦商

嶺南的農業，歷史上，一直與北方有著鮮明的差異。這讓嶺南的春天，除了擁有蓬勃的自然生長力，更處處流動著商業促生的人為創造力。

In the history of agricultural production, the Lingnan area has long been endowed with distinct characteristics different from those in northern China. That's how the land of Lingnan has managed to maintain such a high level of natural vigour and unprecedented creativity.

The Lingnan area has long seen abundance in agricultural resources. As early as the Song Dynasty, staple food production achieved self-suff i ciency. When simplif i ed, subsistence agriculture dominated central plain areas, whereas the Lingnan area built the foundation for its latter diversif i ed agricultural development.

Adjacent to the Pacif i c Ocean, the region established robust commercial ties with Southeast Asia in early times. The growing of introduced, tropical and sub-tropical species, gradually developed into a competitive edge in production of commercial crops. These products, such as exotic fruits and sugar, were presented as a tribute to the Emperor and met excess demands in northern markets, which in turn promoted the development of the garden industry. Many peasants became specialised fruit-growers.

The idea of pursuing economic advantage spread across the Lingnan area. Industrial conversion, from agriculture to commerce, fl ourished in Guangdong Province, most signif i cantly in cities like Guangzhou and Chaozhou. Over 100,000 households lived by non-agricultural means, as of the Qing Dynasty, in Chaozhou city alone. During the Ming Dynasty, agricultural commercialisation was considered mainstream in the Pearl River Delta area. Likewise, based on the use of agricultural materials, handicraft production such as textile and embroidery also gained considerable development.

The Lingnan people further pushed the idea of agricultural commercialisation forward to the innovation of production methods. In the Ming Dynasty, local people creatively combined their experience in fi sh keeping and tree growing, to grow fruit trees, mulberry trees, or sugar-canes around fi sh ponds, creating an ecological agriculture mode that not only prevented fl ooding and improved landuse eff i ciency, but also promoted production of commercial crops and fi sheries at the same time. It was such forward-looking creativity that enabled the Pearl Delta area to come fi rst in the era of agricultural commercialisation.

嶺南具備豐富的農業資源，宋代時，糧食生產可以自給自足，還有余糧輸出。在中原的社會經濟一直以自給自足、單一化生產的農業經濟為主時，嶺南已經發展出明顯的多樣化發展基礎。

它很早與東南亞各地保持著商貿往來，并引進熱帶、亞熱帶作物栽種，顯露出果類作物和經濟作物的優勢。南方珍奇的水果、蔗糖成為上貢的物品和北方爭購的物資，更刺激了園圃業的生產，更多農民轉向專業性的農戶。

“崇利”的意識由此滲透到嶺南各地，轉農為商的活動十分普遍。明代時， 珠江三角洲成為商品性農業區，農業生產已帶有較強的商品性目的。同樣，以農產品為原料的手工業生產，例如紡織、刺繡等也由此發展到相當高的水平。

嶺南人對農產品商業化的意識，也體現在對生產方式的創新上。明代時，當地人民利用長期的土地開發經驗，開始一邊挖塘養魚，一邊在周圍種果樹、桑樹、甘蔗，既解決了水患，提高了土地利用率，又發展了經濟作物和漁業生產。這種超強的創造力，使得珠江三角洲最早進入商品化農業生產。

AGRlCULTURAL PRODUCTlON FOR COMMERClALlSATlON

Text by Lan Xiaojiang Translations by Zheng Ying&Yishan Photos by CFP

HONEY OF THE LYCHEE FLOWER FROM CONGHUA從化荔枝蜜

SPRlNG BAMBOO SHOOTS FROM JlEYANG揭陽春筍

SlLK FROM FOSHAN佛山桑蠶

MUl-CHOY FROM MElZHOU梅州梅菜

DANCONG TEA FROM CHAOZHOU潮州單樅