Chinese farmers grew rice 7,700 years ago

[Judi Lynn]

Chinese farmers grew rice 7,700 years ago
By Tan Ee Lyn
Oct 2, 2007

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese farmers cultivated rice along the eastern coast as far back as 7,700 years ago and used fire and flood control measures to manage their fields, researchers said, citing new evidence.

In a letter published in Nature late last week, geographers in Britain and China described how they found artifacts -- bone, bamboo and wooden tools used for foraging and cultivation -- and high concentrations of charcoal in Kuahuqiao, a freshwater marsh about 200 km southwest of Shanghai.
(snip)

"These two give us a very clear indication that people used fire to open the site for settlement and cultivation. It wasn't just one burn but over several decades to maintain the ground for rice cultivation ... This could be the earliest paddy cultivation in the world," Zong told Reuters by telephone.
(snip)

Between 6,000-4,000 years ago, the community was so vibrant, they had jade, ceramic ware and rice production was so high. Then 4,000 years ago, this community just disappeared," Zong said.
(snip)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=3678012&page=1

[Jed Dilligan]

1. Interesting--perhaps it wasn't a marsh before human modification. nt

[semillama]

2. What makes you think that? Seemed like the evidence points to modification

of an existing wetland to me...

[Jed Dilligan]

3. It's kind of hard to burn a wetland

I was thinking riparian forest, subtract the trees, deplete the soil--wetland. But of course it's just a wild guess.

[semillama]

4. Actually, marshes can burn.

You get a dry period at the end of summer, and all those reeds above the standing water can go up pretty easily.

[Jed Dilligan]

5. I've seen it happen!

The Suisun marshes are between where I live and my parents' house, and I take the train a lot. Yeah, I've seen a burn out there now that you mention it.

The question is, would what's left after the burn be as useful agriculturally as a burnt forest? I've only heard of swidden agriculture being done in forest environments--but then again, I'm no specialist. Just got it all by osmosis in the ag school.

Good to have something almost like a debate in here! :hi: