The Historical Perspective

Abstract

The history of agriculture in China is at least 4500 years old. As early as 2500 b.c. the central plain of northern China was supporting a sizeable rural population, growing millet and later rice brought in from south-east Asia and wheat brought in from Eurasia. By 1500 b.c. the inhabitants were using bronze; the Iron Age revolution took place between 700 and 600 b.c. The rise and fall of various dynasties which ruled China from one century to the other, were accompanied by massive movement of peasants into newly conquered lands and the building of large irrigation works. As Joseph Needham points out: ‘The importance of irrigation channels for intensive agriculture, water conservancy for preventing floods and canal transport for gathering in of tribute to the Imperial Court from the Provinces, led to the establishment of a veritable tradition of great public works, which is absolutely living in China today, as much as it ever was in the Han, Ch’in or Tiang dynasties.¹