Abundant agricultural products by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
China is one of the world’s agricultural cradles. It has a rich history that spans over 10,000 years. The core of China’s history of agriculture is evident in two characteristics: diversified plantation and intensive cultivation.
Tea garden by Shanxi Huaxia Jindao Trading Co., LTDWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Let us journey through time and space to ancient China. This is where we will observe the origins of Chinese agriculture, discover the historical remnants of diversified plantation and intensive cultivation, and admire the significant accomplishments of ancient Chinese agricultural development.
Yandi Mausoleum by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Ancient China’s agricultural period (about 10,000 years ago – 1840 AD)
The legend of the origin of Chinese agriculture
Legend states that China held two great clans during ancient times: the Yandi Clan in the central region and the Huangdi Clan in the northwest. It is said that Emperor Yan (Shennong), the leader of the Yandi Clan, was the first to cultivate crops and plant seeds. Hou Ji, a famous chief from the Huangdi Clan, was proficient in farming and was revered as the god of grain.
wheat by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Archaeological excavations have revealed that China’s ancient agriculture has two essential cradles: The Yellow River Basin in the north and the Yangtze River Basin in the south. The northern climate is typically dry, suitable for growing millet. In contrast, southern weather is wet and ideal for growing rice.
Tea garden by Shanxi Huaxia Jindao Trading Co., LTDWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Furthermore, South China, where tuber crops are grown, is also one of the cradles of Chinese agriculture. These three cradles of agriculture developed in their own ways and blended with one another during the spread process, creating a rich, diverse legacy associated with China’s primitive agricultural stage.
Slash and burn by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
How did ancient Chinese farming tools evolve over time?
As ancient Chinese agriculture transited from the Stone and Bronze Ages to the Iron Age, the social system also underwent extraordinary changes from primitive and slave societies to a feudal society.
Farm implements from the Bronze Age by Baoji Bronze MuseumWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
During earlier periods, people relied on rudimentary farming tools, such as stone knives and stone spades. With the arrival of the Bronze Age, agricultural tools made of bronze, such as shovels and sickles, were developed.
Sugar figure and sugar painting by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Following China’s shift into a feudal society, various kinds of iron agricultural tools were invented and gradually put into use. These improvements were crucial in advancing ancient Chinese agricultural development, significantly enhancing cultivation quality and labor productivity.
During the 8,000 years of development, ancient China made great strides with breakthroughs in the double-cropping system, multi-cropping system, and sugar-making techniques, together with great advancement in the breeding techniques and farming scale of various livestock. Numerous major irrigation and drainage projects were also constructed and used during this time.
A scene of rock tea by Shanxi Huaxia Jindao Trading Co., LTDWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
As Chinese society evolved, specific roles such as veterinarians and equine trainers allowed people to acquire specialized expertise. Others fostered the growth of the brewing and tea industries.
Tea garden by Shanxi Huaxia Jindao Trading Co., LTDWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
The evolution of the agricultural land system
Land was the basis and lifeline of production in ancient China, and different forms of land ownership have emerged over time. China’s agricultural development witnessed numerous dynastic changes over more than two millennia. Despite the intermittent setbacks from natural calamities and war, most rulers upheld the theory of physiocracy. In most cases, China’s agriculture flourished and realized extraordinary achievements during times of stability.
For example, major agricultural projects and international trade routes were established to facilitate the development of China’s agriculture while allowing for the exchange of Chinese culture worldwide. For example, the Grand Canal and the Silk Road enhanced connectivity between China’s northern and southern regions and established vital links between China and the international community.
Grand Canal by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
The Great Wonder: The Grand Canal
The Grand Canal, an ancient engineering marvel that stretches 1,116 miles (1,797 kilometers) from Beijing to Hangzhou, was first built about 2,500 years ago by Yu the Great, a legendary ruler who was said to have tamed the floods. The Grand Canal was renovated and expanded during successive dynasties. It's one of the world’s longest, oldest, and most extensive artificial canals, and has been designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.
The canal served as a significant waterway for transporting grain (primarily grain delivered to the capital) from the abundant south to the barren north in feudal times. It also improved the economic and cultural exchange between northern and southern China and supplied the country with industrial and agricultural development along its banks.
Navigation on the Grand Canal by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Famous people from various countries have traveled along the Grand Canal and left behind their works and praises for the thriving cities along the way. These works have even impacted Europe and promoted the westward spread of Eastern learning (which refers to disseminating Chinese technologies and ideologies to the West along with exchanges between China and the West).
Yangzhou fried rice by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Another fun fact is that the Grand Canal played a crucial role in the birth of Huaiyang cuisine, one of China’s prominent modern regional cuisines. Huai’an and Yangzhou, two cities along the Grand Canal, are both considered the birthplace of Huaiyang cuisine and Creative Cities of Gastronomy recognized by UNESCO.
Ancient road Silk Road by Xibumahua Catering GroupWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
The Silk Road
The Silk Road was an essential medium for promoting ancient agricultural development. According to historical records, the Chinese section of the Silk Road had two routes: first, the Overland Silk Road, which began in the Western Han dynasty (202–8 BCE) and crossed Central Asia to reach South Asia, West Asia, Europe, and North Africa;
Tea soup by Shanxi Huaxia Jindao Trading Co., LTDWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
second, the Maritime Silk Road, which began in the Qin and Han dynasties (about 221 BCE) and linked China with the world by sea. The two routes have been the bridges that have connected China and the world for millennia. They enabled the exchange of agricultural products, such as China’s silk, tea, and soybeans, as well as other nations’ grapes, sesame, corn, and hot peppers.
Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan Province by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
These routes not only boosted commercial trade, but also facilitated political and cultural exchanges between China and the countries of Asia and Europe.
For example, through the Silk Roads, China acquired music, dance, painting, sculpture, architecture, astronomy, and medicine, along with religions such as Buddhism, Manichaeism, and Islam in succession from the West.
Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Bamboo Leaves by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
Similarly, China shared its textile, papermaking, printing, gunpowder, compassing, porcelain-making, painting, Confucianism, Taoism, and other skills and cultures with the world. Today, the Silk Roads still symbolize friendship and cooperation between the East and West. Research suggests that ancient Chinese agriculture gave the world many great gifts, such as rice farming, soybean cultivation, silk production, and tea growing and manufacturing.
Rice by Shanxi Tourism and Culinary Vocational CollegeWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
China has been an agrarian society for most of its history, with a large population and limited land resources. Natural disasters and war often posed challenges to China’s agricultural development. However, people learned to cope with these challenges by adopting the habit of intensive cultivation and emphasizing the virtues of diligence, frugality, and crisis awareness.
Yangzhou by World Federation Of Chinese Catering IndustryWorld Federation of Chinese Catering Industry
These inner resources have fueled the continual progression and prosperity of Chinese civilization. Moreover, the interactions and migrations of different ethnic groups and exchanges between the East and West have promoted cultural integration in many aspects, such as agriculture.
