| This is an interpretative history of the socio-economic developments that took place in rural China during the Ming (1368-1644) period. Special attention is paid to the study of the tax structure and regional land regimes, since they not only offer windows through which we can come to understand the Ming socio-economic landscape, but also were in and of themselves motors of change. It is shown that the tension created by the discrepancy between outdated land and population data compiled by the government and the actual local situation resulted in opportunities both for local social groupings to grow or reorganize and for officials to reform and equalize former tax structures and community activities.;First, such macro-economic factors as climate, population, area under cultivation and money are discussed. Next, the rural organizations established by the government for tax collection and communal endeavors are investigated next with close attention to subsequent changes in their structures and functions. The following section explores region by region the ways in which agriculture, land ownership patterns, and commerce interrelated and affected the course of development in different regions. Finally, the so-called rise of gentry society is described and analyzed in respect of the various socio-economic developments treated in the preceding chapters. The most significant post-war scholarly debates about issues in the socio-economic history of Ming China in Japan, China and the West are addressed and critiqued where relevant. |
