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Yantielun 鹽鐵論 "Discussions about Salt and Iron" by Huan Kuan 桓寬

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During the reign of emperor Wu the Martial 漢武帝 (r. 141-87 BC) the Chinese empire of the Han Dynasty 漢 made a new start after a long time of internal war and recovery. Land administration was improved, the control over its inhabitants as enforced, the economy was reorganized to increase the state revenues, the threat of foreign invasion was reduced, and China reached her greatest expansion since then. But especially the foreign politics had a bad effect on the state treasury. It was necessary to overthink patterns of policy, and a debate on the state monopole over salt and iron production and distribution was held in 84 BC. The main themes of the debate were written down by Huan Kuan 桓寬 (1st cent. BC). He shows that the discussion was not only centering on state monopols, but on a general frame for the government of the broadening Chinese empire. There are two parties that fought to gain hand over the actual politics: The modernists and the reformers. Modernist statesman like Sang Hongyang 桑弘羊 favoured the encouragement of agriculture and the intensification of state monopolies and the tax system to fill the state treasury. The reformists like Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒 protested against the growth of large land estates in order to extend tax income and liked more a privatization in the sphere of estates, mines and commerce. The book Yantielun cites many passages of philosophical works to underline the statements of the single participants of the debate.
5.禁耕
大夫曰:山海有禁而民不傾,貴賤有平而民不疑,縣官設衡立準, 人從所欲,雖使五尺童子適市,莫之能欺。今罷去之,則豪民擅其用而專其利。 決市閭巷,高下在口吻,貴賤無嘗,端坐而民豪。是以養強抑弱而藏於跖也。 強養弱抑,則齊民消;若眾穢之盛而害五穀。一家害百家,如何也?
文學曰:山海者,財用之寶路也。鐵器者,農夫之死生也。死生用則仇讎滅, 仇讎滅則田野辟,田野辟而五穀熟,寶路開。人懷敦樸以自相接而莫相利。 縣官籠而一之,則鐵器失其宜,而農民失其便。器用不便,則農夫罷於野而草萊不辟。 故鹽冶之處,大傲皆依山川,近鐵炭,其勢咸遠而作劇。郡中卒踐更者多不勘, 責取庸代。縣邑或以戶口賊鐵,而賤平不準。良家以道次發僦運鹽鐵,煩費, 邑或以戶百姓病苦之。愚窮見一官之傷千里。
Hindrance to Farming
The Lord Grand Secretary (Sang Hongyang): With restrictions upon the mountains and the seas, the people are not subverted. With the establishment of equilibrium in prices, the people are not suspicious. When the magistrates set up standard weights and measures, the people obtain what they desire. Even a lad only five feet tall may be sent to the market and no one could cheat him. If now the monopolies be removed, then aggressive persons would control the use and engross the profits. They would dominate the market; prices would be raised or lowered at a word; there would be no stability in prices, dear or cheap. These people would be sitting firmly and would grow more aggressive. This would serve to nourish the powerful and depress the weak, and the nation's wealth would be hoarded by thieves. Nourish the powerful and depress the weak and the rank and file of law-abiding people will dwindle away. It would be like letting the weeds flourish and spoiling the grain. 'One family harms a hundred families', forsooth, what does it mean?
The Literati: The material basis for economic prosperity is in the mountains and seas; life and death for the farmers lie in their implements of iron. When these arbiters of life and death are ready at hand to use, the enmity will perish; when enmity perishes, then waste land will be under cultivation; when waste land is cultivated, then grain ripens and the road to economic properity is opened... Men will cultivate simplicity and sincerity, with the result that they will seek to share with others, and none will seek profit at the expense of another... But when the magistrates establish monopolies and standardize, then iron implements lose their suitability, and the farming population loses their convenient use. When the tools are not suited to their use, the farmer is exhausted in the fields, and grass and weeds are not kept down... Because the places where salt is crystalized and iron smelted are in most cases in mountains and on rivers near to iron and coal, their operation is all remote and their working is laborious. The shifts of laborers are assembled in the demesnes without any investigation as to their ability. Utilizing conscripted labour, the county and city magistrates sometimes cheapen the equalized price and make per capita levies. People of good families are forced in their turn to work on the roads. The transport of salt and iron cause trouble and expense; cities are in doubt as to their population; the people suffer bitterly. As I see it, a single magistrate damages a thousand hamlets.

Translated by Esson M. Gale

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