There is hardly another history in the world as full of dramas and tragedies with colossal sacrifices as that of China. All states have gone through wars, natural disasters, and uprisings, and everywhere these events were tragic, but nothing compares to the scale of Chinese horrors. "Love for parental coffins" naturally forces one to reflect primarily on one's losses. But when you read about the losses of the Chinese, you feel almost mystical horror.
Some of the Yellow River floods have killed a million or more people. In one of the battles with the Manchus in the 800th century, more than 20 Chinese were killed. The victims of the Taiping rebellion are estimated at 30-24 million over XNUMX years, that is, more than a million people died annually. Sometimes the population was reduced many times over a short period of time. But! WARNING! All the same, there were always a lot of Chinese. Sometimes their number was comparable to the total number of Europeans, more often it exceeded it, although in the ancient and middle ages for all regions of the world it is a valid question how realistic the population estimates are.
According to the famous Italian demographer Massimo Livy BACCI from his work "Demographic History of Europe", the total population of ten European countries in 1650 was 112 million people, and the number of Chinese in 1661, according to the estimates of the Russian historian Sergei NEFEDOV, was more than 105 million. numbers But the Chinese lived in the same state, with the same taxes, a corruption system, and other methods of extortion from the lower classes. In Europe, these things differed in each country, and some waged wars for decades, while others did not fight for several centuries. In my journalistic opinion, Europeans still had better conditions for accumulating demographic potential. But much more often in history there were periods when there were more Chinese. Or - much more.
Why have there always been so many Chinese? I have heard from some scientists that this is due to the unique fertility of the loess soils in the historical heart of China - between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Perhaps it was like this: in some ancient period, for quite a long time, there were no major wars, major epidemics, and severe crop failures in the territory of the historical center of present-day China. During this time, thanks to the mentioned natural resources, a large population was formed. It, of course, lived in cramped conditions. Yes, even if there were no wars and great epidemics, but before the era of antibiotics, child mortality always claimed the majority of children. But at least a third or a quarter of the children grew up! They created families that needed their own land. And land, even very fertile, does not become more. Then the "horsemen of the Apocalypse" returned. diseases, hunger. But the Chinese have already learned to exist in huge numbers. As?
A very painful topic for the Chinese consciousness today is whether the practice of killing baby girls was widespread in ancient times? 15 years ago, one European (I think - Italian?) politician spoke about this publicly, so the diplomatic scandal became global. But many historical sources mention the practice of infanticide. However, in the "dark ages" it cannot be called a purely Chinese phenomenon. Another thing is that, perhaps, in societies that are always demographically overstressed, in ancient times it was more frequent? I do not know.
Another tool to reduce the birth rate is the castration of boys. This practice was very common in China from ancient times until the end of the XNUMXth century. When it is more (it happened, on a larger scale, by hundreds of thousands!), when it is less. The main motive: "If a castrate takes an important official position, there are fewer threats of corruption and clannishness, because there are no relatives!". This message never worked: a castrato-official "pulled" a non-existent brother up the career ladder, and a castrato just like him. And the corporate bond turned out to be stronger than blood: it happened that "castrate corporations" ruled the empire! This became clear even in ancient times, but the broad tradition of castration lasted until the XNUMXth century. Why? Maybe as a supporting "tool" for reducing the birth rate?
Gradually, various agricultural technologies were mastered, which make it possible to increase the yield, but this is a path for long generations. It was necessary to work a lot, endure and work again. Not "Protestant" - to become significantly richer, but to simply survive. Internal competition was fiercest, plus attacks in the form of wars and natural disasters. This is how the historical formula of the Chinese character and mentality was laid: "work-patience, patience-work. Just to survive." Apparently, only on such a "soil" could Confucianism arise, with its, on the one hand, strict hierarchy, on the other hand, the ethics of work and justice, the care of the elders for the younger, the obedience of the younger to the older. So that, under the conditions of a terribly competitive society, each of its strata can be offered a place, guarantees and duties that are "certain by nature".
Studying Chinese history through the struggle of dynasties and conquests, you see repeating cycles: large-scale turmoil, huge sacrifices, pacification, against its background of population growth, because of this, the growth of socio-economic problems and turmoil again. But ordinary Chinese at any period of this cycle, even in calm times, had to work tremendously hard. A cruel, but probably close to reality, image: if a Chinese man was ready to plow like an ox, he did not become rich, but he had enough rice to not die of hunger. Not ready - dying. And so the majority of the nation lived for centuries.
In order not to be verbose, I will give a few facts from an interesting article "On demographic cycles in the history of China" .
In the second half of the XNUMXth century, the Chinese overthrew the Yuan dynasty founded by the Mongols. The Troubles greatly reduced the population. But that's all after 10 years, the wounds of the war were healed, and in 1412-13, tax collection reached its former level ... However, further growth was not noted. In the 1410s, the first evidence of a tense food situation appears; there are imperial decrees on economy and on the banning of all minor jobs in the army. It is characteristic that the emperor ordered to reduce the production of gold and silver - because the people do not need jewelry, but food. The miners who defended their business received the answer: "He who chases profit for success is a low man. The main thing for the state is the peace of the people, not profit."
Long periods of peace always seem like a huge boon. But not for China.
Quoting again from the same article: "Food shortages and rising prices were the consequences of overpopulation. "Currently, the empire has been in the world for a long time, and the population has rapidly increased," noted a contemporary. - As a result, the fertility of the land turned out to be insufficient to provide the population with food. Therefore, throughout the empire ... people are forced to wander and look for food." The peasants were making desperate efforts to survive on tiny plots of land."
Another decree refers to the rapid growth of the population: “The country has lived in the world for a long time and the population is increasing day by day. Therefore, the supply of food is gradually becoming insufficient...". According to Zhou Yuanhe's estimate, the population increased from 100 to 180 million people in the first half of the XNUMXth century..."
For approximately 50 years, an increase of 80 million! In the era when there were no vaccinations, antibiotics... But what is there - most people have not even heard of soap. Why did God bless the Chinese with such a reproduction? Once my colleague Andrii MYKHAILOV , a great connoisseur of China, wrote: "In recent centuries, humanity has developed in two ways: the first is Chinese, the second is the rest. Why? I do not know. But in search of an answer to this question, it is difficult not to fall into metaphysics."
The first part. To be continued.
Illustrations from the book "Earth and People". General Geography", Elysee Reclue, St. Petersburg, 1900.
Author: Yaroslav Razumov
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