Food supply and population growth in Southwest China, 1250-1850
- Creators
- Lee, James J.
Abstract
Between 1250 and 1850 the population of Southwest China increased from 3 to 20 million people. In this essay, the author delineates two periods of population growth—a small one from 1250 to 1600 and a large one from 1700 to 1850—and relates their spatial and temporal characteristics to agricultural production. His conclusions challenge the popular assumption that frontier populations in China grew because of improved agricultural techniques or increased arable land. In the Southwest, between 1250 and 1600, population doubled because of the government investment in agriculture, but, between 1700 and 1850, population quadrupled because of the development of local mining industry. In Qing China, as elsewhere in the early modern world, major increases in population were often a consequence of early industrialization.
Additional Information
© The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1982. Formerly SSWP 416.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 83263
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20171116-143750401
- Created
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2017-11-16Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-15Created from EPrint's last_modified field