The Management Of The Qin And Han Dynasties Storage Of Grain

Abundant grain reserves will help ensure food supply, social stability and food security. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, governmental barns consisted of central barns, prefectural barns (vassal states’ barns) and county barns. According to Ju Yan Bamboo Slips of Han Dynasty,3levels barn system of the border included Du Wei Barns, Hou Guan Barns and Bu Barns, which with other barns constituted barned grain system of the Qin and Han Dynasties. Central and local governments not only directly supervised barns, but also established special administrative bodies and appointed barn officials who played an important role in managing daily affairs of barns. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the sound management system of grain reserves, mainly consisting of the management of account books, personnel, food security and accountability, was in line with the well-established grain reserves system. The management of barns in Qin Dynasty laid emphasis on "accountability" including mainly four categories of compensation, scolding, fine and penalties for theft to ones who committed certain crimes; however, Han Dynasty stressed the management of barns by means of account books, which is a great progress.Given that food distribution plays a significant role in realizing the purpose of the management of barned grain of providing food for the whole country well, I put food distribution in an important place in the research of the management of barned grain in my thesis. Food was mainly used for royal consumptions, government officials’ salary, military, post storage, reliefs, etc. in the Qin and Han Dynasties. Laws of Qin and Han Dynasties had strict rules on the standard and procedure of how to distribute military food and post storage food. The thesis focuses on military food and post storage food. Overall the management of barned grain in the Qin and Han Dynasties is characterized by specific management, distinct military-centered and hierarchical food distribution.