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China’s population expansion and its causes during the Qing period, 1644–1911

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  • Deng, Kent

Abstract

The Qing Period (1644–1911) has been recognised as one of the most important eras in China’s demographic history. However, factors that determined and contributed to the rise in the Qing population have remained unclear. Most works so far have only speculated at what might have caused the population to increase so significantly during the Qing Period. This study uses substantial amounts of quantitative evidence to investigate the impact of changes in China’s resource base (farmland), farming technology (rice yield level and spread of maize-farming), social welfare (disaster relief), peasant wealth (rice prices), cost of living (silver’s purchasing power), as well as exogenous shocks (wars and natural disasters) on the Qing population.

Suggested Citation

  • Deng, Kent, 2015. "China’s population expansion and its causes during the Qing period, 1644–1911," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64492, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:64492
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/64492/
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ruixue Jia, 2014. "Weather Shocks, Sweet Potatoes and Peasant Revolts in Historical China," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 124(575), pages 92-118, March.
    2. Kent Deng & Lucy Zheng, 2015. "Economic restructuring and demographic growth: demystifying growth and development in Northern Song China, 960–1127," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(4), pages 1107-1131, November.
    3. Li, Bozhong & van Zanden, Jan Luiten, 2012. "Before the Great Divergence? Comparing the Yangzi Delta and the Netherlands at the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(4), pages 956-989, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yi Xu & Zhihong Shi & Bas Leeuwen & Yuping Ni & Zipeng Zhang & Ye Ma, 2017. "Chinese National Income, ca. 1661–1933," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(3), pages 368-393, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic growth; demography; household incomes; market prices; tax burden; proto-welfare; sectoral differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • N5 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries

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