For millennia, agriculture has played an important role in the Chinese economy and society. By the time the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, virtually all arable land was under cultivation; irrigation and drainage systems constructed centuries earlier and intensive farming practices already produced relatively high yields. But little prime virgin land was available to support population growth and economic development. However, after a decline in production as a result of the Great Leap Forward (1958–60), agricultural reforms implemented in the 1980s increased yields and promised even greater future production from existing cultivated land.
Ancient history Wheat entered cultivation in the lower Yellow River valley c. 2600 BC, followed by Gansu and Xinjiang (c. 1900 BC. By 1600 BC, wheat cultivation had spread to Tibet and the middle Yellow River valley.
Ming dynasty, 1368–1644 The population doubled as new lands were settled in Fujian, Guangzhou, and Guangxi provinces, new crops were introduced, and irrigation systems were improved. The mountainous areas in southeastern China were developed in the Ming-Qing period by migrants from overcrowded areas. They specialized in crops such as corn and tea, the latter having rapidly increasing demand in foreign markets.
It is certainly true that Chinese expertise in agriculture, as in many other branches of knowledge, still rivalled and surpassed anything known in the West when the Jesuits arrived at the Ming court. Early visitors marvelled at the high productivity of Chinese farming, its ingenious crop rotations, sophisticated water-raising devices and other equipment, and the rationality and industry of the Chinese peasant farmer. They were also struck by the predominant position accorded to agriculture in the Chinese political economy, where it was known as 'the fundamental' (pen). This was a crucial influence on the theories of the French school of political economists, the Physiocrats, who like the Chinese philosophers insisted that agriculture, rather than commerce or industry, was the only source of true and enduring wealth.Beginning in the 1500s, Chinese farmers cleared land in the highlands to cultivate New World crops including maize and sweet potatoes. Centuries of these practices contributed to deforestation, erosion that worsened flooding and clogged waterways with sediment, and other environmental degradation.
Qing dynasty, 1644–1911 In the pre 1949 era 90% of the population lived by agriculture, from poor tenant farmers to rich landlords. Many were very poor tenants or day laborers, others especially in the southern provinces were better off and more secure by owning their land. Confucians who controlled China praised agriculturalists as honest men who provided the nation's food. Famines and floods were serious risks. China generally experienced regional famines every few years beginning at least in the early 1800s. To forestall local rebellions the Qing government established an elaborate system to protect against famines and other disasters such as epidemics. It was built around a granary system that stores grain. It minimized famine distress by distributing free or low-cost grain. However the system was largely destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1850s, putting this large element of population at risk to flooding, droughts, pestilence, and other causes of famines. The introduction of a major new food supply in sweet potatoes sharply reduced the excess hunger and reduced the frequency of revolts. After suppressing rebellions in the 1860s, the national government worked to relieve distress, stabilize society and improve farming. It reduced taxes and required corvée labor, reclaimed land, and promoting irrigation. During much of the 19th century, land tax was low and famine relief efforts were highly effective. There were millions of deaths in the late 1870s, resulting from factors including Qing borrowing for wars against Muslims in Gansu and Xinjiang, corruption, and indemnity payments to Western countries following the First Opium War and Second Opium War further affecting the availability of wheat and rice reserves. After 1900 the government set up rural associations that published newspapers and instructional pamphlets for farmers, set up agricultural schools, held local training sessions, as well as agricultural exhibitions. Programs to continue water conservation and forest station projects continued. The reforms in agriculture were one dimension of a vigorous last-minute effort by the Ching government to rapidly reform education, the military, and local administration. During the 1800s and 1900s, intensive farming systems in China caused the progressive loss of soil nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. Republican-era China generally continued to experience regional famines every few years.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
