Nourish the People: The State Civilian Granary System in China, 16501850 (Michigan Monographs in Chinese Studies) (Volume 60)

The Qing state, driven by Confucian precepts of good government and urgent practical needs, committed vast resources to its granaries. Nourish the People traces the basic practices of this system, analyzes the organizational bases of its successes and failures, and examines variant practices in different regions. The volume concludes with an assessment of the granary system’s social and economic impact and historical comparison with the food supply policies of other states. Cover Title Copyright Contents List of Tables List of Maps Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1. Chinese Traditions of Grain Storage Part I: Development and Decline Introduction 2. Foundations of Success, 1650-1735 3. The Grand Structure, 1736-1780 4. Decline and Its Opposition, 1781-1850 Conclusion Part II: Structural Problems Introduction 5. Grain Preservation 6. Management 7. The Control Structure 8. Statistical Difficulties and Accounting Methods Part III: Spatial Patterns Introduction 9. National Patterns of Granary Activity 10. North China: Shandong during the Qianlong Period 11. The Middle Yangzi: Hunan 12. The Southwest: Yunnan and Guizhou Conclusion Part IV: A Comparative Assessment 13. Qing Granaries and Late Imperial History 14. Qing Granaries and World History Appendix: Tables of Civilian Granary Holdings in Qing China, 1741-1856 Glossary Bibliography Index Chinese Traditions Of Grain Storage ; Foundations Of Success, 1650-1735 ; The Grand Structure, 1736-1780 ; Decline And Its Opposition, 1781-1850 / R. Bin Wong -- Grain Preservation ; Management ; The Control Structure ; Statistial Difficulties And Accouting Methods / Pierre-Étienne Will -- National Patterns Of Granary Activity / Peter C. Perdue And R. Bin Wong -- North China : Shandong During The Qianlong Period / Jean C. Oi And Pierre-Étienne Will -- The Middle Yangzi : Hunan / R. Bin Wong -- The Southwest : Yunnan And Guizhou / James Lee -- Qing Granaries And Late Imperial History ; Qing Granaries And World History / R. Bin Wong -- Appendix : Tables Of Civilian Granary Holdings In Qing China, 1741-1856. Pierre-etienne Will & R. Bin Wong ; With James Lee ; Contributions By Jean Oi, Peter Perdue. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The Qing state, driven by Confucian precepts of good government and urgent practical needs, committed vast resources to its granaries. Nourish the People traces the basic practices of this system, analyses the organisational bases of its successes and failures, and examines variant practices in different regions.