Draft History of Ancient Chinese Economy (Volume 1)

Author: Li Jianong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book is divided into three volumes: Pre-Qin and Han, Wei-Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang, and Song, Yuan, and Ming. The entire work focuses on elaborating on the development of productive forces and the changes in production relations in Chinese feudal society. In explaining the changes in feudal production relations, the author places great emphasis on the interaction between politics and the economy. In particular, the author highlights how successive dynasties favored the landlord class, especially the aristocratic landlord class, in terms of power distribution and burdens of taxes and corvée, which led to the complexification of class contradictions and economic decline in each period. The book primarily discusses the development of productive forces and changes in production relations in ancient Chinese society. Among these, it pays special attention to the interaction between politics and the economy. The lightness or heaviness of taxes and corvée directly reflects the living conditions of the people, as they affect their burdens and income. The book also conducts an in-depth examination of the dynamics of industry and commerce in each period, providing a comprehensive view of social economic development.