稻作經濟下的祖先崇拜與科舉文化

Ancestral Worship and Imperial Examination Cultures Under Rice-Based Economy

本文發現：宋代的稻作技術進步與水利灌溉需要，是導致華人社會崇拜祖先、重視學歷與考試升學、強調宗族與集體主義等文化的重要原因。因稻作經濟高度仰賴灌溉用水，故農民對內必須以共同祖先為號召，團結同姓宗族，共同興建小型水利設施；對外必須設法讓子弟能夠科舉及第、在朝為官，向中央爭取興建大型水利設施。以上因素交互影響，遂形成了成華人社會的文化特質。

This article proposes that the flourishment of rice economy and the formation of hydraulic society in Sung China are the important factors to shape the cultural patterns of Chinese society, such as ancestor worship, credentialism, grade inflation, lineage conscious, and national collectivism. Since the rice production relies heavily on irrigation water which cannot be accomplished by individual families, Chinese farmers would have to engage in two collective endeavors. First, inside the village, they used descent-ranked lineages and ancestor worship to sustain collective action in small-scale irrigation systems. Second, outside the village, they targeted at success in the Imperial Examinations so as to attain a high-ranking position at central government, which may facilitate their rent-seeking in large-scale public irrigation systems. These in turn lead to the fundamental characteristics of Chinese culture.