Research Of Cash Farming Problem Of Henan Region In Ming And Qing Dynasty

During the development of our history, the Ming and Qing Dynasty is the peak phase of the development of commodity economy. Agriculture is the feudal society's most important material production sector, and also is an important part of the feudal socio-economic. As to the commodity economy of the feudal society which is mainly agricultural, the development of the cash farming has great significance.Henan is located in the Central Plain, and is a big province in agriculture of China. As early as the Song Dynasty, the economic level of Henan is among the highest in China and so is cash farming. However, after 200 years of great changes in history, until the beginning of Ming Dynasty, as a result of a long-term chaos of wars, Henan suffered from a great depression in economy and in society. In order to restore the socio-economic as soon as possible and help the rehabilitation of the people, the Ming government, from the history experiences and lessons, proposed a number of economic recovery policies, such as opening up wasteland, building water conservancy projects, reforming the tax and corvee system and so on. After a period of restoration, the population of Henan has increased as well as the cultivated area and the production technology and tools enhanced and improved further. The cash farming developed gradually in this background. Until the Qing Dynasty, cash farming has been further developed on the basis of the original of the Ming Dynasty. What's more, cash farming reached its peak phrase in the Qianlong period.The development of cash farming in Ming and Qing Dynasty is mainly reflected in two aspects:the development of the traditional food crops and the introduction and promotion of new food crops as well as the cash crops. After two dynasties' development, the production and variety of crops have been greatly developed and the type of the cash crops is richer and the production has gradually increased, which provide the necessary conditions to the commercialization of agricultural products. Commodity is the goods produced by labor, which is used to exchange, and the exchange process plays an important role in the process of agricultural product's commercialization. So this exchange process is the process of commodity circulation. Convenient commercial transportation is one of the necessary conditions for the development of commodity circulation. Henan has a superior location and convenient transportation. Throughout the commercial traffic of Henan in Ming and Qing Dynasties, there are three types:land-based, water-based as well as both water and land-based. The convenient transportation has formed the commercial transportation network which extends in all directions reaches. Therefore, Henan becomes the country's major commodity circulation channels and one of the distribution centers.Generally speaking, the development characteristic of cash farming of Henan in Ming and Qing Dynasty contains the following several aspects:The cash farming presents the regional division of labor and specialization; The regionalization of cash crop planting facilitated the commercialization of food production; Most of the cash crops appeared in circulation as a commodity or supplied raw materials for handicrafts; The agricultural product market expand their horizons. As an important component of social commodity economy, the development of cash farming has an effect on commodity economy and its prosperity will have a major impact on the socio-economic. Firstly, cash farming promoted the development of relative agricultural and processing industries; Secondly, as a commodity trading place, the market developed gradually based on the flourish of cash farming; Finally, the development of urban and rural market gave a boost to some of the cities and towns.