When there is a poorly managed agricultural economy, many things go awry. Emperor Wen stated that “For the past several years there have been no good harvests, and our people have suffered the calamities of
flood, drought, and pestilence. Why
is the food of the people so scarce? Is it that too many
people pursue secondary
activities to the detriment of
agriculture?
Is it that too much grain is used to make wine or too many domestic animals are being
raised?” [3]
When there is a well managed agricultural economy, there may be some degree of protection from flood and famine.“... although emperors Yao and Yu encountered nine years of
flood and King
Tang
seven years of
drought, there were no derelicts or starving
within the kingdom, because provisions had been stored up in plenty
and all precaution taken. [4]
[1] Department of Asian Art, Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.), New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hand/hd_hand.htm
[2] Compiled by Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, Sources of Chinese Tradition, New York Columbia University Press, 1999, 255-357, http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/chaocuo_agriculture.pdf [3] Compiled by Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 354, http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/emperor_wen_agriculture.pdf [4] Compiled by Bary and Bloom, 255-357 http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/chaocuo_agriculture.pdf |
Agriculture: The Han Dynastyby Howard L.
Chinese emperors and officials in the Han Dynasty (206BC - 220AD) [1] valued and also noticed the importance of an agricultural economy. Some of the many benefits of an agricultural economy were satisfied people and protection from flood and famine. [2]
Image (Top Left), Chinese Wheelbarrow, Boston University: ED101 Educational Technology Lab, Access Date November 13, 2014, http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101sp07/barborek/handynasty.htm#top: http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101sp07/barborek/wheel.JPG
Image (Top Right), Chinese Chain Pump, Boston University: ED101 Educational Technology Lab, Access Date November 13, 2014, http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101sp07/barborek/handynasty.htm#top: http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101sp07/barborek/chainpump.jpg |