Ch. 3.2 Part IIDAILY LIFE IN MING AND

QING CHINA

A handful of factors lead to a fast population growth during the mid Qing period. The first source for the population growth was of course the economical prosperity and relative peace under the century of the three Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong.

Furthermore, in the 1600’s and 1700’s, a greater rice production meant a better life for most Chinese. It is during this period that the population doubled to about 300 million by 1800.

Most Chinese families farmed using techniques their ancestors had used for thousands of years.

However, irrigation and fertilizer was used more widely during the Qing Dynasty, effectively increasing production.

Moreover, new crops such as corn and sweet potatoes, brought by the Europeans from the Americas, were grown and consequently improved nutrition and diet.

The result of this was a Chinese population in better health, which in turn, encouraged families to expand. There is evidence suggesting that the empire's rapidly expanding population was geographically mobile on a scale never before seen .

The three dominant influences on 17th century Chinese thought and belief were Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. These are primarily philosophical and ethical systems rather than religions, and each of these traditions have schools of thought and sects.

Chinese sons were favored over daughters. Sons were the only ones allowed to carry on vital religious rituals. Sons would raise their families under their parents’ roof which assured aging parents’ care in their old age. Men dominated the workplace, household and their wives.

Women did work in the fields, manage the home, oversee the children’s education, and some even found jobs outside the home as midwives or textile workers.

Despite these important responsibilities, female infants were not valued and many were killed as a result. Although attitudes have changed, even today, a culture exists which does not value females.

One example of a woman’s suffering is depicted in the traditional practice of foot-binding. Young girls' feet, usually at age 6, but often earlier, were wrapped in tight bandages so they could not grow normally. The feet would break and become deformed as they reached adulthood. The feet would remain small and dysfunctional, prone to infection and paralysis.