Chapter 4 Section Four: Shennong's Leisi

In ancient Chinese legends, there was a god of agriculture named Shennong.He taught people to make farm tools, "Chop [zhuozhuo] wood to make Lei [sisi], knead wood to make Lei [lei Lei]" ("Yi Xi Ci II"), use Lei Lei to reclaim wasteland and sow grains, and people have since I no longer worry about having nothing to eat.The word Leisi later became a general term for farm tools. Of course, legends are not equal to historical facts. In fact, agricultural production was not invented by any one person.In the Neolithic sites that have been discovered in my country, almost all the relics of human agricultural production can be seen, including a large number of stone farm tools and some carbonized grains.Relics from various places show that when our ancestors entered the Neolithic Age, agricultural production had already begun, and the distribution was very wide, not limited to one time and one place.

In the history of the development of human civilization, the emergence of agriculture is a major event with decisive significance.It enables human beings to have a fixed source of livelihood, thus starting a settled life, without having to run or migrate for chasing or looking for food.Along with the settled life, people also began to domesticate and domesticate some animals, leading to the breeding of livestock and poultry.As a result of sedentary life, people gradually gathered together to form villages, and with the development of production and the deepening of social division of labor, the emergence of towns and even countries became possible.In a scientific sense, agriculture and aquaculture have enabled people to learn more about the growth characteristics of animals and plants, and have germinated biological knowledge; in the process of searching for edible animals and plants, people have also discovered the medicinal properties of some animals and plants. Functions gave birth to the knowledge of medicine; the relationship between agriculture and seasons and weather gave birth to the knowledge of astronomy and meteorology; the relationship between agriculture and irrigation gave birth to farmland water conservancy technology; the measurement of farmland and the distribution of food gave birth to mathematics It can be said that without agriculture, it would be difficult for human civilization to develop and progress.