Pictured above is a schematic representation of the nitrogen cycle. Research shows that leguminous plants can contribute to nitrogen fixation. According to historical documents, Chinese people learned the practice of growing leguminous plants to enhance soil fertility in ancient times.

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Over the past century, the history of science has undergone several paradigmatic transformations since it was launch as an independent discipline by George Sarton (1884-1956) at Harvard University. Sarton ultimately aimed to establish an integrated history of science that provided a connection between the sciences and the humanities.

Alexandre Koyré (1892-1964), a French philosopher, introduced the philosophy of science. The central goals of the discipline are to determine what qualifies as science, establish the reliability of scientific theories, and envision the ultimate purpose of science. American sociologist Robert Merton (1910-2003) founded the sociology of science—the study of science as a social activity, especially dealing with “the social conditions and effects of science, and with the social structures and processes of scientific activity.”

Furthermore, there have emerged national, regional and ethnic classifications along with interdisciplinary perspectives, such as archaeological science, enriching the study of the field and contributing to resolving academic problems. The history of science is increasingly included into general education as a required course by colleges and universities.

In China, the history of science as a discipline could be traced back to the scholars Hu Shi, Li Shuhua and Qian Linzhao, who were active during the period of the Republic of China (1912-49). After the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, large-scale attempts were made to collect, sort, research and summarize scientific and cultural legacies handed down from ancient times. These studies mainly relied on the method of textual research.

After the 1980s, increasing academic exchanges with other countries brought Western theories, schools and methodologies to China, promoting the development of the discipline domestically. In recent years, new trends have emerged. Modern and contemporary history of science has become the focus. In particular, young scholars pay attention to studies on scientific exchanges, education, research institutions and associations as well as renowned figures. Moreover, they incorporate methodologies of other disciplines, such as anthropology.

 

Ecological science
The history of ecological science adds a new dimension to research on the history of science. The branch aims to examine the constantly changing relations between human production activities and nature from the perspective of the history of ecological science and technology. In the process, the influence of human activities on nature and the role of nature in human history will be revealed, laying the foundation for further inquiry into the co-evolution of human civilization and nature.

Covering multiple disciplines, the history of ecological science includes the history of ecological technologies, the philosophy of ecological science and technology, and ethnic history as well as ethics, policies and culture. In this sense, it expands the connotative and denotative boundaries of the discipline.

The purpose of ecological technologies is to help mankind better utilize nature in order to pursue greater freedom and happiness. Therefore, research on the history of ecological science should focus on the interaction between mankind and nature, and take human survival and development as the logical starting point.

 

Historical practices
Born of human reflection on environmental destruction caused by technological development, ecological technologies represent the new direction in the future. Generally speaking, technologies that can conserve natural resources, reduce or avoid environmental damage, or promote harmonious coexistence between mankind and nature can be regarded as ecological technologies.
The conscious or unconscious application of ecological technologies dates back to early human production and living practices. They have been applied to farming, forestry, animal husbandry, side-line production and fishery. For instance, the traditional orchard and mulberry land-pool farming in the Lingnan region has long enjoyed a good reputation.

Demarcated by the East River, the West River and the North River, the Pearl River Delta is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the river flows into the South China Sea. Located south of the Tropic of Cancer, it has abundant rainfall, and flood disasters pose a threat to production and living in the area throughout the year.

As a result, people in the area developed ways of adapting to local conditions. They dug low-lying areas into ponds and bred fish while piling up the soil surrounding the ponds to prevent water from flooding the area. They grew plants between the ponds and the embankment, and planted fruit trees on the embankment, which formed an orchard fish pond. Later, increasing trade brought higher demand for silk fabrics, so it was more profitable to grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms. Thus, many places began to plant mulberry trees, which formed a mulberry fish pond.
 

 

The Annals of South China Sea County recorded the formation of the large-scale embankment project in the Pearl River Delta. Established during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was expanded during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and in 1924, reached a total area of about 134 square kilometers, serving as a barrier that protected 1,500 hectares of farmland from flooding.

In the mulberry fish ponds, silkworm excrement is used to breed fish, while fertile pond mud is used to grow mulberry trees. The interdependent cycle helps to prevent flood disasters and reduce environmental pollution, achieving the integration of ecological, economic and social benefits.
China has a long history of raising fish in rice paddies, which can be traced back 2,000 years. The rice plant provides shade, insects and organic matter for the fish, while the fish oxygenate the water, move the nutrients around, and eat larvae and weeds, thereby benefiting the rice. In 2005, the practice of integrating rice and fish in agriculture was recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as one of the Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems. And Qingtian County of Zhejiang Province, which has maintained this traditional practice, was selected as a pilot conservation site.

As early as 1911, Franklin King, chief of the Division of Soil Management in the Bureau of Soils at the US Department of Agriculture, attributed China’s sustainable agriculture to the industry, thrift and wisdom of Chinese farmers in the book Farmers of Forty Centuries. Chinese farmers are good at taking advantage of time and space to enhance land utility, using human and animal excreta, waste and pond mud to fertilize the soil.

In addition, Essential Techniques for the Peasantry, written by Jia Sixie, an outstanding agronomist of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), recorded the ancient method of enhancing soil fertility by growing leguminous plants that can contribute to nitrogen fixation. Moreover, ancient people took advantage of the parasitic, competitive, predacious or symbiotic relationships among living things, and adopted crop rotation and interplanting to maintain biodiversity while increasing production.
 

These practices reflect ecological ideas and ethical values. The principle for eco-agriculture is to act in accordance with favorable climatic, geographical and human conditions. Only by respecting the laws of nature, and doing as one’s capacity allows and in line with season, climate and soil conditions can we achieve sustainable development of agricultural production. This is rooted in the traditional Chinese philosophy of the unity of man and nature that all things should live in harmony.

 

Agricultural pollution
According to a research report by the World Health Organization, one-sixth of the global population live in heavily polluted cities and towns, and less than one-fifth live in clean cities. At present, there are persistent, severe environmental problems in China’s rural areas. In addition to industrial waste, agricultural pollution has also aggravated environmental destruction.

To promote efficient eco-agriculture, it is urgent to solve the problems including household garbage, sewage, unprocessed feces of livestock and poultry, excessive use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide, plastic pollution and burned crop straw.

Traditional Chinese society has provided valuable methods and ideas that can be used as a reference. Scholars and experts on the history of science should seize the opportunity to find solutions from historical documents and existing heritages to problems facing contemporary social development. They should summarize ecological practices urban and rural areas have adopted throughout history to contribute to the combination of traditional culture and modern technologies.

 
Qiu Longhu is from the School of Marxism at Guangdong Medical University and Huang Shirui is from the Research Institute of Philosophy at South China Normal University.