生计与风水:清代湘南地区的矿业开发与生态环境

湘南地区毗邻赣、粤、桂三省,地理位置特殊,是一个复杂的地理单元。及至清代,湘南地区已是湖南省乃至全国铜、铅、银等矿业生产的主要区域。长达数百年的矿产开采与冶炼,促进了地方社会的经济发展,也给当地的生态环境带来深远影响。由此,湘南官绅民各界对矿业开发引发的环境问题亦有因应,“坑冶十害论”和“九嶷山封禁案”即为其集中体现。开矿采砂本为解决贫民生计而采取的措施,但因破坏风水、污染水土等一系列影响环境的后果,以致出现开矿与禁矿之争,使得湘南地区矿业开发一度出现波折。这两例个案亦折射出在“重本抑末”的传统社会中地方官绅士民在生计与风水之间的离合关系。地方社会以保护风水为由严禁矿冶,在一定程度上遏止了生态环境的破坏与恶化,不过,其在环保方面发挥的作用也不宜被高估。

Livelihood and Geomantic Omen:The Mining Development and Ecological Environment in Southern Hunan in Qing Dynasty

The area of southern Hunan is adjacent to the provinces of Jiangxi,Guangdong and Guangxi.It has a special geographical location and is a complex geographical unit.In Qing Dynasty,this region was the major areas of mining production of copper,lead,silver and other minerals in Hunan Province and even the whole country.Although centuries of mineral mining and smelting have promoted the economic development of the local society,it also had a profound impact on the local ecological environment.Therefore,the officials,gentry and the populace in southern Hunan also had tried to deal with the environmental problems caused by mining development,which were embodied in“Argument of ten harms of mining and smelting”and“Case of Prohibition of mining Jiuyi Mountain(九嶷山)”.Mining was originally a measure taken to solve the livelihood of the poor people,however,due to a series of environmental consequences,such as the destruction of geomantic omen and the pollution of soil and water,there emerged the dispute between mining and prohibition of mining,which resulted in the twists and turns of mining development of southern Hunan.The above two cases also reflect the relationship between livelihood and geomantic omen among local official,gentry and the masses of the people in the traditional society of“laying stress on agriculture and despising the industry and commerce”.Local society strictly prohibited mining and smelting on the grounds of protecting geomantic omen,which has to some extent restrained the destruction and deterioration of the ecological environment,but its role in environmental protection should not be overestimated.