תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

The most wonderful increase of population was during the Sui dynasty. In the first year of Sui Wên Ti's reign (1132 A. K.), he had only 9,009,604 mouths. In his ninth year (1140 A. K.), he took 2,000,000 mouths from the Southern Chen dynasty. The total number was 11,009,604 mouths. But in 1157 A. K., when only twenty-five years had passed, his son had 46,019,956 mouths. The population increased over fourfold within twenty-five years. It seems that the figures for population increased not on account of the birth-rate only, but mainly on account of the system of taxation. After the great statesman of Sui, named Kao Kung, established a system of taxation in favor of the free citizens by making the taxes light, the people did not like to be the dependents of the higher class for the purpose of evading taxes; hence the number of citizens who paid taxes increased rapidly. Indeed, the Sui dynasty was the richest one in Chinese financial history.

According to this table, before 2300 the population never numbered over one hundred millions. Why should the population figures of the present dynasty be much larger than those of all the past dynasties? It is because the present dynasty has neither "door tax" nor "mouth tax." In 2212 A. K. the number was 21,068,609, and in 2262, 24,621,334. Throughout fifty peaceful years the population increased only 3,552,725. But in 2300 A. K. the number was 177,495,039. It increased more than seven times in the thirty-eight years. Why should the figures increase so rapidly as this? It was because Shêng Tsu had abolished. these two taxes in 2263. His decree is as follows:

The empire has been peaceful for a long time, so that the population increases numerously. If I increase the amount of taxes according to the present number of population, it is not right; for, although the population becomes larger, the acre

age of land does not become wider.1

To-day the public

treasury is very rich. Although I have frequently given the exemption, which amounted to ten millions, for several years, the national expenditure has never any trouble of insufficiency. Therefore, I should take the number of people from the present tax-roll as a fixed number to be taxed, and the increased population of the future shall be exempted from any additional What I want is merely the report of the true numbers.

tax.

Then the legislature established the law that the amount of poll tax is permanently fixed according to the number of the tax-roll in the year 2262, and that the new increased number, which is called "the increasing population of the prosperous age," shall never be taxed.

This marks a new epoch in Chinese economic history. The population began to show its approximate number in 2300 A. K. Through thirty-four years, to 2334 A. K., the population increased more than half. Through fifty-nine years, to 2393 A. K., it increased less than half. During the T'ai-p'ing rebellion (2401-2417 A. K.) it may have lost a hundred and fifty millions. Although the census of the present dynasty is still not very accurate, it is near the truth. In a few years, when China shall have a regular parliament, accurate statistics of population should be available.

1 This suggests the Malthusian doctrine.

CHAPTER XIX

NATURE AND CAPITAL

I. NATURE

1. The Five Elements

SINCE land is only one part of nature, we should first consider all the elements of nature. For this reason we may take up the five elements as presenting an exhaustive classification of natural forces. Although the five elements are the basis of Chinese philosophy, we are concerned here with their economic aspects only.

The "Great Model" puts the five elements in the first of the nine categories. The first element is water; the second, fire; the third, wood; the fourth, metal; the fifth, earth. The five elements in the Chinese language are called "the five movements," because they move and revolve throughout heaven and earth without ceasing. In 6 A. K. (546 B. C.), Tzu-han, prime minister of Sung, says: "Heaven has produced the five elements which supply men's requirements, and the people use them all. Not one of them can be dispensed with." 1 The Chinese regard all the five elements as the natural forces upon which human life depends.

After having given the names of the five elements, the "Great Model" describes their nature. "The nature of water is to soak and descend; of fire, to blaze and ascend; of wood, to be crooked and to be straight; of metal, to obey and to change; while the virtue of earth is seen in seed1 Classics, vol. v, pt. ii, p. 534.

1

sowing and ingathering." Then it gives the tastes of the five elements: "That which soaks and descends becomes salt; that which blazes and ascends becomes bitter; that which is crooked and straight becomes sour; that which obeys and changes becomes acrid; and from seed-sowing and ingathering comes sweetness." 1 The five elements have their several sounds, colors and airs, as well as tastes; but the text speaks only of their tastes, because they are of greater importance to the people than the others, and they can be the representatives of the others. Leaving out all philosophical points, we may say that the five elements are the basis of production and consumption.

The Great Commentary of the Canon of History says: "Water and fire are the things by which the people eat and drink; metal and wood are the things by which the people labor; earth is the thing upon which the life of everything depends. All these give their utilities to man." 1." Therefore, the five elements are originally free goods, because they are produced by nature.

[ocr errors]

Adding the grain to the five elements, the Chinese call them "the six treasuries. Such a term first appears in the "Tribute of Yü." It says that the six treasuries are greatly regulated.2 Because the grain is the food of the people, they regard it as equally important with the five elements. According to Tso's Commentary, water, fire, metal, wood, earth, and grain are called the six treasuries. They are called treasuries because they are the sources of wealth which depend upon nature. The rectification of the people's virtue, the conveniences of life, and the securing abundant means of sustenance, are called "the three businesses." The six treasuries and the three businesses are called the nine services." " The distinction between the

66

1 Classics, vol. iii, pt. ii, pp. 325-6. Classics, vol. v, pt. i, p. 250.

2 Ibid., pt. i, p. 141.

six treasuries and the three businesses is that the former are produced by natural power. But the six treasuries, although they depend upon nature, are to be regulated by human power. Therefore, all these are called nine services. The manner of regulating the six treasuries may be illustrated by a few examples. In ancient times there were many officers controlling these six things. During the reign of Shun, the chief duty of the prime minister was to regulate water and earth. Even after "the great floods" had been repressed (1725 B. K. or 2276 B. C.), the regulation of water remained important to man. Irrigation, navigation, and carrying off the floods are examples of regulating Anciently, the regulations of fire were numerous. According to the Official System of Chou, there is a bureau of fire. In procuring fire by boring wood, certain woods were assigned to be employed in the four seasons, in order to prevent the seasonal diseases. In spring the fire was taken from the elm and willow; in summer, from the date and almond trees; in the last month of summer, from the mulberry and the wild mulberry trees; in autumn, from the oak and the yu; in winter, from the huai and the tan. In the third month the people were ordered to use fire for pottery and foundery, and in the ninth month they were forbidden to use fire for this purpose. In the hunting of the second month fire was used for the burning of the old grass; after that time the people should be fined if they set fire to the field without permission.1 Metals and woods. were similarly regulated by rules in regard to the management of mines and forests. As to the regulating of the earth and of the grains, we shall speak later.

1 Official System of Chou, ch. xxx.

« הקודםהמשך »