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The Fan Shengzhi shu 氾勝之書 "Book of Fan Shengzhi" is the first agricultural treatise of China. It was written during the late Former Han 前漢 (206 BCE-8 CE) period. The oldest bibliographical records of China talks of a book Fan Shengzhi of 18 chapters. Fan Shengzhi was an official who was entrusted with the revenue of the region of Guanzhong 關中 around the Capital. As such he had practical experience in agiculture and wrote down what he knew about the basics of agriculture, ploughing, sewing, the observance of time and weather, growing, harvest, and processing of the crops. His treatise includes information about many field crops, not only grains. The preparation of fields (qutianfa 區田法) plays a very important part in the whole book.
The Fan Shengzhi shu was lost in its original form and is only preserved in quotations from the Qimin yaoshu 齊民要術 from the Northern Wei period 北魏 (386-534). During the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) Hong Yixuan 洪頤煊 collected other quotations to reconstruct the Fan Shengzhi shu as far as possible. Two modern commentaries have been written, namely Shi Shenghan's 石聲漢 Fan Shengzhi shu jinshi 氾勝之書今釋 and Wan Guoding's 萬國鼎 Fan Shengzhi shu jishi 氾勝之書輯釋.
Source: Wu Shuping 吳樹平 (1992). "Fan Shengzhi shu 氾勝之書", in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhongguo lishi 中國歷史, vol. 1, pp. 209-210. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
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1.耕田 Gengtian Ploughing the fields
2.收種 Shouzhong Harvesting
3.溲種法 Souzhongfa Irrigation
4.區田法 Qutianfa Field compartments
5.禾 He Grain on the stalk
6.黍 Shu Millet
7.麥 Mai Wheat
8.稻 Dou Rice
9.稗 Bai Barnyard grass
10.大豆 Dadou Great beans
11.小豆 Xiaodou Small beans
12.枲 Xi Nettle-hemp
13.麻 Ma Hemp
14.瓜 Gua Melons
15.瓠 Hu Gourds
16.芋 Yu Taros
17.桑 Sang Mulberries
18.雜項 Zaxiang Miscellaneous items
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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