The history of rice‐fish co‐culture in China and its inspiration for the cooperation of the Lancang‐Mekong countries

Abstract

China is a major agricultural country since ancient times. Nowadays, international cooperation between regions has become increasingly important, with frequent cooperation and exchanges formed around geographical advantages. The study starts with an introduction to the origin and development of China's long history of rice-fish co-culture. History could be divided into three stages: the ancient stage, the modern stage and the contemporary stage. As a long-lasting agricultural cultural heritage, the analysis and exploration of its patterns, characteristics and experiences could provide some inspiration for the cooperation of Lancang-Mekong countries in agriculture, culture, economy and trade. In this regard, under the framework of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, with a consensus to build “a human community with a shared future” for Lancang-Mekong countries, this study proposes some measures: (1) Strengthen mutual trust and cooperation to optimize the cooperation environment. (2) Strengthen agricultural technology exchanges to deepen industrial chain cooperation. (3) Promoting diversified exchanges, improving industrial integration and humanistic exchanges to build a human community with a shared future for Lancang-Mekong countries.