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Ecology of the Chinese Peasant Household

Ecology of the Chinese Peasant Household. The House-Field-Town Nexus and its Decline in the Qing An accompaniment to chapter 3 of An Ecohistory of People’s China Stevan Harrell Revised for Han Chinese Society and Culture 6 February 2013.

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Ecology of the Chinese Peasant Household

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  1. Ecology of the Chinese Peasant Household The House-Field-Town Nexus and its Decline in the Qing An accompaniment to chapter 3 of An Ecohistory of People’s China Stevan Harrell Revised for Han Chinese Society and Culture 6 February 2013

  2. Historical Frequency of Floods and Droughts in the Wei River Plain Source, Yin Shuyan et al., Historical Drought and Water disasters in the Weihe Plain. ActaGeographicaSinica15(1):197-205, 2005.

  3. Qing—Disturbance and slow variables Qing slow variables: Population growth (Oct 5) Agricultural extension and Intensification (Oct 10) Increased water capture (Oct 12) The house-field-town nexus and the decline in its resilience (today, October 24)

  4. Qing--Hysteresis Qing Hystereses: Eroded lands Altered watercourses Overtaxed institutions (today we concentrate on household level)

  5. Waterworks as illustration of the curvilinear relationship between productivity/intensification and resilience Start with irregular rainfall Build a reservoir Reservoir contains excess in big storms Reservoir retains water in droughts Natural events don’t become disasters Harvests become more reliable Reclaim more land Reservoir can’t release water, exceeds capacity Community more dependent on lands that will flood Natural events become disasters Intensification R es I ience Resilience varies directly with productivity Resilience varies inversely with productivity P roductivity

  6. The Household Developmental Cycle Nuclear Stem Nuclear Joint

  7. The House-Field-Town Nexus Affines’ Village Cooperation Fuel, Wild foods, Ecosystem services Construction materials Village House Town Sales, Rents, Taxes Cooperation Forest and Pasture Purchases Water Food, Fiber Fertilizer Water Fields Figure 3-3Flows of Household Goods and Services Solid arrows are private goods Dashed arrows are common pool goods Importance of flows is roughly proportional to weights of arrows. Household’s Own Field

  8. The house-field-town nexus

  9. The house-field-town nexus: materials and ventilation

  10. The house-field-town nexus: House plans and spirits

  11. The house-field-town nexus: House plans and household structure

  12. The house-field-town nexus: The Village as an agglomeration of houses with obligations of reciprocity

  13. The house-field-town nexus

  14. The house-field-town nexus: Private resources

  15. The house-field-town nexus: Resource Commons

  16. The house-field-town nexus Market Landlords State

  17. Buffers or Guarantors • Infrastructure: mostly waterworks • Institutions • Kin groups • Irrigation Associations • Temples • Beliefs and values: See descriptions in Fei, Yang, Leonard, etc. • Frugality • Recycling • Generational Continuity • Within-community Reciprocity • Ecological buffers • Wetlands • Forests: Recall Elvin and Marks • Fallow land • Ungrazed pasture

  18. Population Growth in the Qing and PRC Kent G. Deng, Unveiling China’s true population statistics for the pre-modern era from census data. Population Review 43 (2), 2004 www.chinaprofile.com

  19. Flows in the house-field-town nexus Rough balance Guarantors Infrastructure Institutions Values Eco. buffers Energy food, feed, clothing, construction mat. fertilizers sales, rents, taxes purchases (s+r+t)-p=exploitation Within bounds=moral economy

  20. Slow variable change in the house-field-town nexus Rough balance Guarantors Infrastructure Institutions Values Eco. buffers Energy food, feed, clothing, construction mat. fertilizers Depletes Topsoil Forest biomass Ground water Game animals, etc sales, rents, taxes purchases (s+r+t)-p=exploitation

  21. New World crops in hilly areas as slow variables Energy food, feed, clothing, construction mat. fertilizers Increases Fertility Population Area Planted Depletes Topsoil Forest biomass Wetland reserves Weakens Guarantors Infrastructure Institutions Values Eco. buffers

  22. Population explosion as slow variable Energy food, feed, clothing, construction mat. fertilizers Increases Fertility Population Area Planted Depletes Topsoil Forest biomass Wetland reserves Weakens guarantors Infrastructure maintenance Adaptability of institutions

  23. Summary of Loss of Ecosystem Resilience in the Qing Dynasty INSTITUTIONS Limited adaptation to new environments Reaching capacity in rule-making and adjudication Migration and refugees disturb composition INFRASTRUCTURE Strain increased More locked in Maintenance deteriorates Wetlands reclaimed Forests converted to grain Pastures grazed more intensely Swidden cycle shortened ECOLOGICAL BUFFERS VALUES Desperation leads to re-evaluation of self-interest Value transmission and teaching disrupted

  24. Positive Feedback Loops Within the House-Field Axis Need for more land Convert Forest to Arable Flooding Increased runoff Lower Productivity Soil Loss

  25. Positive Feedback Loops Within the House-Field Axis Need for more land Reclaim Wetland Lose buffer against storms Flooding Lower Productivity

  26. Positive Feedback Loops Within the House-Town Axis More state coercion More demand on granaries Less tax collection Tax evasion Prices rise Less relief and market grain Moral economy disrupted Less cooperation Decreased resilience in the house-town axis Institutions of granaries and market fail as guarantors

  27. Positive Feedback Loops Between the House-Field and the House-Town Axes Convert Forest to Arable Less goods Reclaim Wetland Less reliability of crop Refugees Lose buffer against storms Flooding Decreased resilience in the house-field axis: Ecosystem buffer fails as guarantor Rebels Decreased resilience on both axes, community institutions and values fail as guarantors More demand on granaries Less tax collection Prices rise Less relief and market grain Moral economy disrupted Decreased resilience in the house-town axis Institutions of granaries and market fail as guarantors

  28. Implications for Resilience Theory • System can remain in backloop for a long time 100-150 years

  29. Implications for Resilience Theory • Or chaos of late Qing can be seen as alternative stable state Population Growth Guarantor Weakening Mid-Ming System State Weather events Military actions Increased exploitation Late Qing System State

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