This paper reviewed the characteristics of the descriptions on ancient agriculture in the Chinese high school history text books. The characteristics can be summarized in the following three perspectives: in substitution to the decline of historical materialism, firstly, emphasis on Chinese traditional agriculture, secondly, acquisition of a leading ancient agriculture position for China in world history, and, thirdly, both unification of ancient agricultural areas and establishment of multiracial states. Through the descriptions, China emphasizes that Chinese is the people with the most excellent culture and transitions in the world. It can be positively evaluated at the point of both breaking from the traditional Western-oriented view and recognizing the excellent transitional agricultural culture. In addition, such descriptions are suitable to the educational ideology of Chinese middle and high schools, that succeeds the excellent tradition of the Chinese people, makes the spirit of the people well-known, pursues both the development of the people and the progress of Chinese society. However, in case of overemphasizing the ideology, it happens that the history is distorted by the Chinese-oriented historical view and supremacy. A problem of the descriptions on ladder fields and rice farming is to reflect the problem of unified multiracial nationalism of China. In addition, the effort to highlight the Chinese transition and history is apparently noticed by accepting legends and myths as they are. Such a description manner shows that the description are not based on the historical reality, and that the boundary between the myths and the reality has been collapsed.

This paper reviewed the characteristics of the descriptions on ancient agriculture in the Chinese high school history text books. The characteristics can be summarized in the following three perspectives: in substitution to the decline of historical materialism, firstly, emphasis on Chinese traditional agriculture, secondly, acquisition of a leading ancient agriculture position for China in world history, and, thirdly, both unification of ancient agricultural areas and establishment of multiracial states. Through the descriptions, China emphasizes that Chinese is the people with the most excellent culture and transitions in the world. It can be positively evaluated at the point of both breaking from the traditional Western-oriented view and recognizing the excellent transitional agricultural culture. In addition, such descriptions are suitable to the educational ideology of Chinese middle and high schools, that succeeds the excellent tradition of the Chinese people, makes the spirit of the people well-known, pursues both the development of the people and the progress of Chinese society. However, in case of overemphasizing the ideology, it happens that the history is distorted by the Chinese-oriented historical view and supremacy. A problem of the descriptions on ladder fields and rice farming is to reflect the problem of unified multiracial nationalism of China. In addition, the effort to highlight the Chinese transition and history is apparently noticed by accepting legends and myths as they are. Such a description manner shows that the description are not based on the historical reality, and that the boundary between the myths and the reality has been collapsed.

中國, 高等學校 歷史敎科書, 古代 農業 敍述 : China, History textbooks in high school, description of ancient agriculture