The Study Of The Price Of Grain In The Tang Dynasty

Grain is the material base that the Hunan society depends on for existence. The fluctuation of the price of grain has been not only merely a kind of comparatively complicated economic phenomenon, but also the important political meaning concerning the national economy and peoples liveli hood. This paper attempts to research the price of grain in the Tang Dynasty deeply to know about the issue of the price of grain in china traditional society and the important function of the price of grain in historical process and social changes.The paper bases on the historical data of the price of grain in stock in the Tang Dynasty, dissertate the level and change trend of the price in detail on nine periods in the Tang Dynasty. On this basis, the author analyses and summarizes three essential features of the price of grain in the Tang Dynasty. Namely: Lower price on the whole is low;The trend of price change on the whole present. High after being low; the price fluctuate enormously.The paper analyses deeply the main factor that influence the change of the price in the Tang Dynasty, and point out the agricultural natural calamity, which is represented by water, drought, locust, is the important factor that influence the price of grain in the Tang Dynasty. But there is not a absolutely straight proportionate relationship between both. The war exert an important influence on the price of grain in the Tang Dynasty through the destruction to grain circulation and food supply, and there is obvious linkage between both. In addition, Currency is a important factor influencing the price of grain in the Tang Dynasty. At the time of devaluing, the bad coin prevailing and the currency system being confused, the price of grain often goes up. And when the currency system is steady, confidence in the currency is good and cast coin fall sharply, the price might fall after rising.Finally, the paper also concentrated on probing into the influence of the price of grain on the social process in the Tang Dynasty, and then, conclude that the sustained cheep price is important material base that forms "flourishing phenomena" in the Tang Dynasty. And the upsurge of the price of grain caused numerous social crises in some period in the Tang Dynasty, including the serious crises of social life and civil order. Besides, the paper points out that the Tang Dynasty become feeble and die gradually with the rapid upsurge of the price of grain. Although we can't say that the ruin of the Tang Dynasty is the direct consequence of the surging price of grain, we can see that the Tang Dynast is doomed to perish from the sky-rocketing in the price of grain.