The Pattern of the Chinese Past(IV)

Elvin in chapter eight says that the Ming Empire was characterized by its low amount of national product being assigned for administration and defense purposes. There is no evidence to suggest that the expenditure on maintaining the government and on funding the warfare had been a burden. According to Elvin, the reason for such a good financial position was due to the continuation of higher economic productivity started in Sung , together with the continued use of the civil service examination, also started in Sung, which had the effect of reducing government administrative costs. Also there was the fact that major wars with barbarians were over and Ming therefore could enjoy peace with reduced military expenses. The extensive internal migrations in the empire, together with the improvement of communication had made the central plain more homogeneous and stable.1The Ming dynasty survived for about three centuries until it fell in 1644. The reasons for its demise were many, including but not limited to the shortage of military manpower partly due to the epidemics, internal rebellion, and the external threat from the Manchus.2 Ming was not conquered by Manchus, but conquered for them by Chinese generals including Wu San-kuei and Hung Cheng-chou who had defected. The Manchus, with its huge economic resources in the heartland, and its ability to master the firearms, enjoyed domination over the people of Mongolia, eastern Turkestan and Tibet. In chapter 9 Elvin begins to talk about the farming revolution in China. He asserts that there were agricultural improvement in China between 8th and 12th centuries, with the major progress took place in the South. The mastery of technique of wet-field rice cultivation allowed migration into previously difficult to develop areas. 3 It seemed that a unified empire had help the spread of this technique. The main center of agricultural revolution was in southern Kiangsu and Chekiang. Wookblock printing had also helped the spread of this new method. Elvin suggests that there were two more factors that had help increase grain production: the development of a more efficient transport system, and the development of a more integrated market network.4 Elvin outlines four aspects of this agricultural revolution: 1) farmers learned to prepare their soil more effectively, 2) better seeds were introduced which either gave heavier yields, or resist drought better, or ripen more rapidly, 3) more effective hydraulic techniques were introduced, and 4) specialization in crops production was made possible.5 (to be continued)

Notes:
1. Elvin, Mark. The Pattern of Chinese Past. Stanford: Stanford University, 1973, page 93
2. page 106
3. page 113
4. page 117
5. page 118