Abstract:Although the historical writing of the phenomenon that locusts stayed away from some regions had not yet become a fixed pattern for depicting good officials in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it is worthy of study that this type of historical writing first appeared in Dongguan hanji, an officially edited history book. In the past, the academics touching upon this topic believe that this writing is a tribute to good officials, and that it reflects the belief that plaques are the wrath of heaven. Their studies relate this type of writing only to the general background rather than the actual reality of the time. Some researchers mentioned Confucianist divination, but their studies are too general. In fact, the writing of the phenomenon that locusts stayed away from some regions first appeared in Dongguan hanji, which is closely related to the frequent and serious locust plagues in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the prevailing ideological theory of divination, the virtue ethics advocated by the disaster risk management experts, who believed governance by virtue could stop cataclysm in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In particular, Wang Chong mentioned many times in his Lunheng that disaster risk management experts advocated stopping cataclysm by virtue, which changed people's view of locusts from “harmful pests” to “sacred insects”. This has more direct impact on the historical writing of the phenomenon that some regions were free from locust plagues. As a thinker, Wang Chong was aware of the huge impact of the disaster risk management theory on historical writing, and criticized and analyzed this fallacy. Wang Chong's thought has important implications for our in-depth understanding of the historical writing about the phenomenon that some places were free from locust plagues in the Middle Ages.
靳宝. 从灾虫到神虫:东汉“蝗不入境”的历史书写[J]. 《深圳大学学报》(人文社科版), 2022, 39(3): 152-160.
JIN Bao. Changes in View of Locusts in the Historical Writing of Some Places Free from Locust Plagues in the Eastern Han Dynasty. , 2022, 39(3): 152-160.