| Qimin Yaoshu | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 《齊民要術》 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 《齐民要术》 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheQimin Yaoshu, translated as the "Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People", is the most completely preserved of the ancient Chinese agricultural texts, and was written by theNorthern Wei Dynasty officialJia Sixie, a native ofShouguang,Shandong province, which is a major agricultural producing region.[1][2][3][4] The book is believed to have been completed in the second year of Wu Ding ofEastern Wei, 544 CE, while another account gives the completion between 533 and 544 CE.
The text of the book is divided into ten volumes and 92 chapters, and records 1500-year-old Chineseagronomy,horticulture,afforestation,sericulture,animal husbandry,veterinary medicine,breeding,brewing,cooking, storage, as well as remedies for barren land. The book quoted nearly 200 ancient sources including theYiwu Zhi. Important agricultural books such asFàn Shèngzhī shū (氾勝之書) andSì mín yuè lìng (四民月令) from theHàn andJìn Dynasties are now lost, so future generations can only understand the operation of agriculture at the time from this book.
280 recipes are found in the text.[5]
Since the publication of the book, historical Chinese governments have long attached great importance to it. Since the book spread overseas it has also often been considered a classic text to study changes in species. WhenCharles Darwin was researching the theory ofevolution he made reference, in his bookOn The Origin of Species, to an "Encyclopedia of Ancient China".[6] The book he referenced was in factQímín yàoshù.[7] The book's name "Qímín yàoshù" can be explained as "techniques by which common people make their livelihood", but can also be explained as "techniques to harness the people's livelihood".
