Research On Agricultural Economy And Social Development Of Central Plains Region In Qing Dynasty

As the last feudal dynasty in C hinese history, the Q ing Dynasty lasts from the end of Ming regime to the Republic of China. It made significant contributions to Chinese cultural heritage and economic development. Agricultural technological innovat ions, diversified economic structure and the social stability in Central Plains had profound influences on the regime of Q ing Dynasty.The development of a gricultural economy of the Central P lains in Q ing Dynasty mainly reflected in several aspects, such as the diversity of crops, advanced handicraft techniques and prosperity of fair trade. These three aspects were not isolate but had impacts and infiltrations on each other, they showed the bustling scene of prosperous society and rich people in middle Q ing Dynasty from the side of a gricultural economy.The formation of such special agroecological environment in Central Plains was bound up with a variety of natural factors. Local farming and crop species are both closely related to the changes of Yellow River course; water storage of Huaihe Rivers and its affiliated lakes; soil constituent; rainfall; climate fluctuation; etc. C limate changed greatly in the Q ing Dynasty. The Early Q ing Dynasty was in cold period, it got warmer in the Middle Q ing Dynasty, but turned back to cold spell in the Late Qing Dynasty. Under the influences of frequent climate changes and regional environment differences, five main agriculture regions were formed. These five agriculture regions were Northern Henan piedmont and alluvial plains; Eastern Henan plains; Western Henan piedmont; Nanyang basin; Southern Henan. Agroecological environment and particularity of crops in these regions had very similar characteristics with Darwin’s doctrine of Natural Selection. Each region had its suitable crops, the growth of corps had closely relations with geographical conditions, soil constituent, climate and temperature. Differences among crops necessarily lead to the changes in farming tools, lifestyles and economic forms. This was one objective factor for the development of agricultural economy and the stability of the society in the Central Plains during the Q ing Dynasty.On the other hand, after the end of wars among local authorities, the Q ing Government began to pay more attention to agriculture production. Agricultural economy in the Central Plains gained recovery gradually and began to thrive during this period. Benefits from the Q ing Government’s political measures, farmland began to expand. Such measures included re-register farmlands; reform land ownership; recruit refugees; cultivate waste land and give the people peace. The Q ing Government strongly advocated the construction of irrigation system; this provided a precondition for harvest. Compared with former dynasties, crops species had many differences in the Central Plains. The acreage of corn, sweet potato and potato which came from South America expanded gradually. Economic crops such as peanuts and tobacco were paid more and more attention by the government and the folk. Advances were made in farming techniques, cultivating styles and soil improvement in the Central Plains during this period, these advances enriched crops species. Progresses in farming led to the boom of agriculture economy. Cultivation and distribution of economic crops as cotton, sesame, bluegrass and tobacco changed a lot in the Central Plains and showed a commoditization trend. This is a positive factor combined of subjective and objective which prompted the development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains during the Q ing Dynasty.Furthermore, the development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains in the Q ing Dynasty urged the institutionalization of agriculture administration. The Early Q ing Government took a serial political measures to recover farming production which destroyed by wars in late Ming Dynasty. Taxes systems in the middle and late Qing Dynasty such as sharing man taxation into fields(tan ding ru mu) and field- man- in-one(di ding he yi) were based on agrarian system reform. These taxes systems resulted in highly dependent on farmland, laid the foundation for harvest and economic development. This was one factor in political system and management level for the development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains during the Q ing Dynasty.The Central Plains area experienced frequent natural disasters during the Q ing Dynasty. The government implemented different forms of relief measures such as reducing land, money and grain taxes according to d amage level or economic situation. In the third year of Emperor Shunzhi’s reign period, the government reduced annual taxes of Xiangfu and C henliu which hit by floods. I n the eighth year of Emperor Qianlong, the government suspended the collection of money and grain taxes in Henan after a heavy flood. I n the 43 rd year of Emperor Q ianlong, the government lent a- month’s food to the victims of a natural calamity and rent them money and farm cattle. Those measures helped the recovery of agriculture production and victims’ normal lives. The government stand with ordinary people to fight against nature disasters was one factor for the development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains during the Q ing Dynasty.The booming of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains in the Q ing Dynasty brought an unprecedented historic opportunity for industry and commerce. Vast cultivating of economic crops together with the improvement of grain output per acre optimized agricultural resources in the Central Plains, they also provided economic bases and material components for the prosperous in handicraft industry. Silk, cotton textile and wine industry made more progresses than themselves in the Ming Dynasty. It showed that the development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains drove the prosperity of other commodity trade. So this is the historic opportunity which provided by the development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains for commerce’s booming.The Q ing Government strengthened the control of local organizations at the grass-roots level by Baojia system. At the same time, there were some important supplementary means for rural governance such as c ivil societies which based on clan, gentry and township treaty. The development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains during the Q ing Dynasty had deep influences on residents and their life styles.Economic crisis in the Early and Late Q ing Dynasty prompted the social assistance system based on government, folk and clan levels, these measures had great political significances and realistic functions for alleviating social conflicts. In fact it was a pyramid agriculture administration mode composed of the central, local and folk powers. This mode had deeply promoted the development of society and agricultural economy of the Central Plains.Above all, agricultural economy of the Central Plains during the Q ing Dynasty grew steady based on the combination of subjective and objective factors, especially due to the planting of crops species introduced from South America. The introduction provided unprecedented historic opportunities and conditions for the d iversified development of agricultural economy in the Central Plains during the Q ing Dynasty. On the other hand, the positive effects of the measures taken by the government to improve people’s livelihoods and fight against nature disasters should not be neglected.