文化的自然

就自然體系而言，國土上有兩種不同的自然類型。一種是原始的自然，表現在景觀方面是天然的景觀。另一種自然是人類對原始的自然進行干預后形成的自然。自從人類定居以來，為了生產、生活、精神、宗教和審美等需要不斷地改造自然，對自然施加影響，形成了一種在原始自然的基礎上經人工梳理和改造的自然，如水庫、運河、渠塘、農田、果園、園林等。這是一種經過人工改造、需要人工維護和管理的自然，也是一種與原始的自然相互依托、互相影響、互相疊加的自然。這類自然記錄著人類對土地的影響，反映出人與土地的關系和人們的生產與生活方式，具有文化的屬性，是一種文化的自然。

在漫長的前工業時期，人類在土地上進行的最直接的大面積開發活動就是農耕。農耕所形成的農業景觀就是一種文化景觀，經過農耕活動改造過的自然系統就是地表上面積最廣闊的一種文化的自然。中國是一個農業國家，幾千年的燦爛文明都是建立在農業基礎之上的，然而，中國的地形和氣候對于發展農業來說有許多不利的方面。作為一個山地國家，中國適于開墾的土地數量有限，分布不均。此外，季風性的氣候帶來年內降水不均，并且降水的自然過程與農作物生長需水周期也不合拍。因此，中國的農業生產不能僅僅依靠自然降水，必須要建設水利設施，依靠人工控制水文條件滿足農業的需求。幾千年來，中國人在實踐中不斷摸索，因地制宜，綜合運用各種治理水環境的技術和方法，力求改造自然水環境，控制自然水文，為農業生產提供灌溉用水，同時也為不同地區之間的交通運輸提供便利。

在各類水利工程中，最常見的一種類型就是陂塘系統。一套完整的陂塘水利系統包括了一個或若干個陂湖、系列塘河、水閘和數不清的引水灌渠。杭州西湖、湘湖、寧波東錢湖、濟南大明湖等都是歷史上著名的陂湖，都對當地的農業灌溉和人民生活起到了重要作用。一個成功的陂塘水利工程不僅能支撐起區域的農業發展，也往往會促進一座城市的產生與繁榮，如西湖孕育了杭州、東錢湖滋養了寧波、大明湖潤澤了濟南。陂塘水利系統具有全方位的功能，如防洪、蓄水、灌溉、供水、生產養殖等。各種尺度的塘河和引水渠聯系著陂湖和自然河川，將水引向農田、村落和城鎮，形成了一個網絡，滋養著土地、哺育著民眾。

陂塘水利系統只是中國古代人工營建系統中的一種類型。在漫長的農耕文明中，中國人依據國土的自然條件，以自己的方式興修水利，開墾農田，建設村落，營建城市，形成了一整套土地整理和土地利用的策略，也創造了中國國土的山水田城融合、城鄉相依的國土景觀。更重要的是，經過長期的經營，中國人逐步將這一系統轉變為城市內外的如畫如詩的風景和名勝，形成了中國特有的文化的自然體系。

與農業社會時期相比，我們今天的土地利用方式和人居環境建設途徑已經徹底改變了。我們為什么要研究歷史上所留下來的國土景觀中文化的自然體系？的確，農業社會所留下自然系統的部分功能在今天已經弱化甚至消失了，但是那些能夠一代代積累傳承、留存至今的自然系統都是基于國土的復雜環境和條件產生的，它們適應這片土地，具有相當強的綜合性和多功能性。它們是一個區域中重要的綠色基礎設施，仍然能為區域生態環境的健康發揮關鍵的支撐作用。

另外，文化的自然在人類干預的過程中是動態變化的，呈現在人們面前的這一自然系統是一個對地表不斷復寫、不斷疊加和融合的結果。作為一種客觀的存在和歷史的記錄，它傳承著過去的文化，積淀著歷史的記憶，它是我們所擁有的最豐富的史料。閱讀這一自然系統是了解中國社會發展，分析國土景觀不斷變化背后的邏輯的最直接的渠道，也是撫今追昔，展望未來，維護中國國土的山水結構，尋求當今和未來更恰當的土地利用方式的重要的依據。

PREFACE

The Cultural Nature

In terms of the natural system,there are two different types of nature on land.One is the original nature,representing the natural landscape; the other is the nature formed after the original nature is intervened by human beings.Since the settlement of human beings,we have transformed the nature constantly for the needs of production,living,spirit,religion and beauty-appreciation,etc.,and exerted influence on the nature.Then an artificially combed and intervened nature is formed based on the original nature,such as the reservoir,canal,farmland,orchard and garden,etc.This is not only a nature which has been transformed artificially and requires the artificial maintenance and management,but also a nature which depends on,interact with and superimposes on the original nature.This kind of nature records the in fluence of human beings on the land and reflects the relationship between the human beings and land,also the production mode and life style of them.This kind of nature can be called the cultural nature.

In the long pre-industrial period,the most direct and large-area covered development activity conducted by human beings on the land was farming.The farming landscape formed during this period is a kind of cultural landscape.The natural system which has been transformed by the farming activity is the most expansive cultural nature on the earth’s surface.China is an agricultural country and its thousands of years’ splendid civilization is based on agriculture.However,there are many disadvantages for the development of agriculture in terms of the topography and climate in China.As a mountainous country,there is limited land suitable for reclamation in China.And the distribution of land is uneven.In addition,the monsoon climate brings uneven precipitation among the year.The natural process of precipitation is discordance with the water need cycle of crop growth.Therefore,China’s agricultural production cannot simply rely on the natural precipitation and must aided with the water conservancy facilities in order to meet the agricultural demands by controlling hydrologic conditions artificially.For thousands of years,the Chinese has continued to look for ways in practice,searching for methods according to local conditions,comprehensively apply the technologies and measures of managing the water environment,strive to transform the natural water environment and control the natural hydrology for the purpose of providing the irrigation water for the agricultural production and offering convenience for transportations in different regions at the same time.

The most common type among the water conservancy projects is the impounding lake.A complete set of impounding lake water conservancy system includes one or several impounding lakes,canals,water gates and innumerable water diversion channels.West Lake in Hangzhou,Xianghu Lake,Dongqian Lake in Ningbo,and Daming Lake in Jinan are famous impounding lakes in history,which had played a significant role in the local agricultural irrigation system and local people’s life.A successful impounding lake water conservancy project may not only supports the regional agricultural development,but also tends to promote the generation and prosperity of a city.For example,the West Lake bred Hangzhou,Dongqian Lake nourished Ningbo and Daming Lake enriched Jinan.The impounding lake system is endued with multiple functions,such as flood control,water storage,irrigation,water supply,farming production and aquaculture,etc.All scales of canals and division channels connect with the lakes and natural rivers,directing the water to the farmland,villages and cities,forming a whole network to nourish the land and foster the people.

Impounding water conservancy system is just one type of the artificial construction systems in ancient China.In the long farming civilization,the Chinese launched water conservancy projects,reclaimed farmlands,constructed villages and built cities based on the natural conditions of the land,forming a complete set of land consolidation and utilization strategy and creating a landscape with the fusion of mountain,water,farmland and city,also with the dependency of city and countryside.What’s more important,the Chinese gradually turn this system into the picturesque and poetic scenery and scenic spot inside and outside the city after the longterm management,forming cultural nature system with China characteristic.

Compared with the agricultural society period,the land utilization and construction of the human settlement environment today have been completely changed.Why do we need to research on the cultural nature system of the landscape left in history in China? In truth,part of the function of natural system left in the agricultural society might has been weakened and even disappeared,but those which can be accumulated and inherited from generation to generation and remained today were generated based on the complex environment and conditions of the specific land.These systems adapt to this land and are of considerable integrity and multi-functionality.They are the important green infrastructures of an area and still able to play a key supporting role in keeping the health of regional ecological environment.

Furthermore,the cultural nature is dynamically changing in the process of human intervention and this natural system presents a result which replicates,superimposes and fuses the earth’s surface constantly by people.As the objective existence and the record of history,it inherits the past culture and accumulates the historical memory,it is the most abundant historical data we own.Reading this natural system is not only the most direct way to know China’s social development and analyze the logic behind the changing of landscape,but also the important basis for recalling the past in the light of the present,looking forward to the future,maintaining the structure of China’s landscape and looking for the more appropriate way for land utilization at present and in the future.

Chief Editor:Prof.Dr.-Ing.WANG Xiangrong

December 6th,2019