氣候、災荒與生存抉擇--唐代鬻賣人口現象析論—唐代鬻賣人口現象析論

Abstract

拙文欲探討唐代氣候變遷引發之災荒，以及災後饑饉求生下的危機抉擇。遇值災荒，負面衝擊必相應而生，輕則民生經濟凋弊，重則社會動亂危及政權。唐統治階層面臨天災異象頻仍，除了消極因應外，尚須擬出有效對策與措施使之化危為安。然政府雖有其救恤政策，往往惠澤有限；諸人事之禍，卻凌駕於自然災害。小民面對無力回天的災情，在天災人禍雙重威逼之下，為化解生存危機，只得「割慈忍愛」做出賣兒鬻女等痛苦抉擇。

This article aims to explore the natural disasters resulted from climate change and the victims’ critical choice for surviving the consequential starvation after drought. Upon a natural disaster, negative impacts follow inevitably, minor ones: such as shortage to answer basic needs, economy downturn, major ones:such as turmoil or disturbance threatening the authority.The ruling classes of Tang Dynasty, while encountering natural disasters one after another, were in bad need of actively formulating effective strategies and taking contingent measures to take issues under control in addition to copingwith the challenges passively. However, the governments often than not answered the urgent needs of the people rather meagerly despite of having responded with soothing and relief policies; to our surprise the consequences of the officials’ negligence victimized the people far more severely than naturaldisaster. The parents as ordinary people being trapped in the disasters helplessly and further struggling under the critical threats of both the natural disaster and the negligence of the authority and officials had no choice but making a painful decision to sell their children for beating the survival crisis with the unbearable pain of cruelly leaving family behind.