Imperial China

China being one of the oldest cultures of the world discovered the significance of agriculture in its economic development and growth. The dynasties, that ruled imperial china found agriculture to be a powerful social and political tool. China main provisions of food were agriculture with both livestock and crop farming playing significant roles.

China’s topography is diverse given its enormous size. The climatic conditions of china vary from one region to another.  The agricultural practices were, therefore, diverse given the vast area and prevailing climatic conditions. The imperial dynasties ruling china understood the importance of agriculture to their economies and their strength as rulers and figures of authority.

The Chinese dynasties made sure that they put critical significance in agriculture. Some dynasties offered incentives for agricultural purposes like pieces of land while others sought to protect their agricultural products from external invasions and aggressions. China’s agricultural success is significantly dependent on rainfall. Given the varying climatic conditions of the country, the northern territory produced barley wheat and millet. The southern region produced rice given the regions climatic ability to sustain its growth.

The production of clothes depended on hemps and silkworms raised on mulberry orchards, making china the producers of the best clothing items of the time. Cotton was introduced into the region at a later date in the tenth century. Many essential tea bushes, vegetables, fruits and medicinal herbs were doing well in the coastal, southeast and central Yangtze areas. China being a culturally rich country needed all the varied agricultural knowledge and input of her people to sustain herself.

Agriculture’s role in imperial china supersedes any played by other natural resources that are available in china. Its input in economic and social contribution in the time made china a formidable country. It was, therefore, the duty of the imperial rulers to ensure that agriculture was natured and protected. The knowledge that without, agriculture their governments would lose control and collapse was significant. Agriculture ensured people were fed, clothed and protected in imperial china.