Research On The Population Growth Of East Zhou Period

Current China is not only one of the quickest nations of economy increase, but also a nation in the poor edge. This strange phenomenon is excessive because of the Chinese population quantity, thus offsetting valid composition of the economic growth. The population pressure not only affected the economy development, but also brought many new social problems. Out of the demand of the actuality, the scholars start to pay attention to the history population problem, hoping to provide help for the settlement of today's population problem through the research on the history population phenomenon. But while they study the history population growth and decay reason, they usually come in sight of the decision function of the productivity and implements of production neglecting the mankind's function of oneself reproduction scale. Therefore, research on the problem not only has the very strong actuality, but also has the important theory meaning. This article selects mankind's self reproduction as the start point, the East Zhou Period as the investigation scope, makes use of the cultural main factor analysis method, and sees the population growth in East Zhou Period as a cultural phenomenon constituted by a series of factors. This thesis mainly discusses the phenomenon of population growth and the three main factors that affected it of East Zhou Period.This thesis is divided into four parts.The first part is a preface, discusses some problems and its seriousness caused by the numerous population quantity, points out the urgency of the population history research, looks back on the research thinking way since 1970's, pointed out the deviations in the thought method and puts forward the writer's research method.The second part discusses the population growth phenomenon from Chun Qiu Period to the Warring States Period. We can see this not only from the cultural books and speeches of the contemporaries, but also from the changes in that period such as the purpose of wars from the capturing rather than killing in the fight in the Chun Qiu Period to the killing rather than capturing in the Warring States Period., the relation between land and population. The population growth is showed in the development of the merchandise economy and the extension the social division of cabour.The third part analyzes the population growth factors from three aspects. First Ianalyzed the clan idea's influence to the population growth. In Chun Qiu Period, the conflict between each clan struggling for power and money was very vigorous. For the purpose of realizing political and economic purposes, each clan made efforts to increasing population. In addition to making use of the marriage between clans to obtain the foreign help, each clan spared no effort to establish various special policies to rob other clan's population and weaken other clan's power. With the growth of the population the country's function of comforting the widows and widowers deteriorated. The supporting for the elders mainly depended on their sons and daughters. The demand of personal existence excited the enthusiasm of birth. Second I investigate the marriage system's influence to population growth. The states in East Zhou Period encouraged the people to marry early and bear early by law policy and economy benefits. They also made use of the old marriage of customs to encourage the women to remarry in order to accelerate the growth of population. Finally, I analyze the influence custom and habit to population change. For the need of the population growth, the old witch craft found its social foundation, and the new ones were created out. But in the certain history period, the improving and development of were limited; however, the speed of population growth under the condition of being free from the restrain was far above the speed of the material growth, thus constituted the threat to the mankind whole life. So the foundation of some customs was to the growth speed of population. The fourth part is a conclusion.