| A universal guide for China studiesChinese History - Han Dynasty 漢朝 (206 BC-220 AD) |
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Han Dynasty |  period before (Qin)-- Prelude: Chu-Han -- Interlude: Wang Mang next period (Sanguo)  | |
| Map and Geography | ||
 |  Although the economy was heavily damaged as a result the suppressive policy of the Qin Dynasty 秦 that had imposed a heavy burden of taxes and labour corvée on the peasant population that had to serve in the military and for the construction of the fortification wall in the north (the Great Wall 長城). The next four years after the downfall of Qin in 207 were characterized by a civil war between several feudal lords that strove for the imperial power. Nontheless, the first few rulers of the Han Dynasty did not politically interfere into the economy but rather relied on a laissez-faire policy. The only steps they undertook was to abolish suppressive laws of the Qin Dynasty and to lower taxes imposed on peasants and merchants. Field taxes (tianzu 田租) were lowered to 1/30 of the harvest, labour corvée was reduced to once every three years and could be avoided by paying a tax (gengfu 更賦), the taxes on merchants (suanfu 算賦) were lowered to 40 qian 錢 a year, and the production of salt and iron was promoted. Although merchants were still prohibited taking office they were rewarded if they substantially contributed to the economic output. On this base, it was possible for merchants to accumulate substantial wealth during the next decades and to acquire land estates. Far the most part of the population were peasants, and their production output was the base for the tax revenue. During the first century of the Han Dynasty technological changes took place in agriculture: Oxen and horses became more and more important as draught animals, the most advances ploughs were pulled by two oxen and mastered by three men; we have presentations of agricultural activities in tomb mural paintings and brick reliefs. These use of such ploughs gradually spread within northern China and to the northeast and northwest, following the territorial expansion of the Han empire. There were also some ploughs combined with a sawing equipment (louche 耬車) In southern China agriculture was still quite backward, and people used simple step-on ploughs (zhilei 蹠耒), "ploughing with fire and weeding with water". During the rule of Emperor Wudi 漢武帝, Zhao Guo 趙過 invented a new cultivation method called daitianfa 代田法 "replacement-field method". The field were ploughed with alternating furrows (quan 甽) and ridges (long 壟), seedlings placed into the furrows were protected wind and could be nourished the earth | |