Figure 1.--The Chinese traditionally valued large familires and not just rural peasant families. Here we see an urban middlle-class family in the 1930s. The children look to be about 2-14 years old. Notice that the girls wear traditional clothing and the two older boys wear Western styles. A reader writes, " The Chinese, especially in coastal cities during the 1930s, would probably have had considerable interaction with Europeans. This of course was especually true of Shanghai, China's commercial center, which still had European enclaves. I suspect that the two older boys wear western clothes because they attend some sort of Western style private school. Notice the younger pre-school boy seems to be wearing more traditional garb. I also think this was a well-to-do if not wealthy family."

China has had the largest population of any country for ages. We are not sure just when that began or why, but this has been the case as far as we can tell for millennia. Gerography is an important factor. It isolated China and provided the foundation for productive agruculture--rivers for irrigation and deoosit of rich aluvial soil--basically the Nile Valley on a much lasrger scale. The size and the boundaries of China have changes over the past 5,000 years, but China was first unified by the Qin which defeated the Waring States and unified China (late-3rd century BC ). The Qin were followed by much longer lasting Han Dynasty which presided over a Golden Age and created institutions that helped form the civilization that helped form the Chinese Civilization that we all learned about. And since that time, the Chinese have seen the Mandate of Heaven to both legitimize the rule of an Emperor and his rule over a united Chinese state. Disunity was seen as an natural state of affairs. Unity created a state that had a large population and one that could maintain a productive agriculture economy. . A strong united state was need to main the canals and irrigation works needed for productive agriculture. A major factor here is simple math. Rice produces more calories per acre than wheat--the preferred crop in Europe. More calories meant the ability to support a larger population. Productive agriculture until the 20 century required a large work force because of the agricultural methods employed. And this created a mind set of producing large families. This was because large families meant free labor. It also meant children to support you in your old age. This is not just a Chinese pattern. It is a pattern manifest in all agricuturalm societies, even in the United States. My father's farm family had 11 children. An American reader writes, "The point about large families makes sense. We see similar styles in rural European and American families, especially in Catholic Countries and enclaves. I even remember certain Catholic families having 8 or more children (Irish and Italian families mostly) when I grew up in the 1960s." But it is especially important concerning China because agriculture was so important and China was so late to industrialize. Here sons were much more important than daughters. They carried on the family name and could b depended on to care for their parents in old age. In contrast, daughters required a expensive dowry when they married and then sentb off to another family. These value became deeply imbedded in Chinese culture. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power (1949) and when the Communist desire to control, they addressed demographic issues. Chairman Mao believe that China's large population was an assets. He reasoned that a large population would mean that many Chinese would survive a nuclear exchange. China women produced 2.7 children. (2.1 is needed to maintain a constant population.) After Mao, Communist leaders decided the population was out of control and instituted a one child policy (1979). And the CCP was phenomenally successful. A side effect was that millions of girl babies were aborted or euthanized. And by the time the one child policy was ended, the Chinese (especially women) have decided they do not want to have children, especially more than one. The major reason is that it is very expensive to have children. Free labor is no longer needed. Not to mention that children complicate careers. And the Chinese preference for boys means that the demographic balance has been upset. Millions of Chinese men now find that there is no women for them. This has mean that the normal population pattern is totally out of balance. India is now the world's most populace country. The Chinese population is declining. China which has become the workshop of the world is no longer producing the workers needed. and now faces a population collapse. The CCP was able to force Chinese women not to have children. It is now having little success in convincing them to have children.

Geography

China has had the largest population of any country for ages. We are not sure just when that began, but this has been the case as far as we can tell for millennia. Gerography is an very important factor. It isolated China and provided the foundation for productive agriculture-. China was one of the great river vvlley civilizations. China had important rivers for irrigation. Interesting, Chinese rivers like important Indian rivers both rise in the Himalayas. The two countrues are on opposite of this towering mountain chain. The rivers also deposit rich alluvial soil. China is basically the Nile Valley on a far greater scale. The two most important quivers of course are the Yellow and Yangtze. There is a third very important, less well river known to Westerners--the Brahmaputra. It arises in the Himalayas and flow into Tibet, but unlike the Yellow and Yangtze, it then turns south and flows into South Asia. As a result, it is becoming a major issue with water-starved China and India/Bangladesh.

Rice-Wheat Caloric Values

A major factor here is simple math. Rice produces more calories per acre than wheat--the preferred crop in Europe. This is a little complicaed. The caloric value per pound of rice is comparable to wheat. There are difference in nuruitional value, but it is dfficult to say thatb one is superior. The difference ic that you can produce more rice per hectar than wheat. And in tropical/subtropical areas you can harvest more than one crop annually. Hre there are no precise numbers. It depends on the srain, climate, land, water availbility, and farming methods. But in the final analysis, the greater the caloric production, the greater the ability to support a larger population.

Ancient China

The size and the boundaries of China have changed over the past 5,000 years, but China was first unified by the Qin which defeated the Waring States and unified China (late-3rd century BC ). The Qin were followed by much longer lasting Han Dynasty which presided over a Golden Age and created institutions that helped form the civilization that helped form the Chinese Civilization that we all learned about. And since that time, the Chinese have seen the Mandate of Heaven to both legitimize the rule of an Emperor and his rule over a united Chinese state. Disunity was seen as an natural state of affairs. Unity created a state that had a large population and one that could maintain a productive agriculture economy. A strong united state was need to maintain the canals and irrigation works needed for productive agriculture. Productive agriculture until the 20 century required a large work force because of the agricultural methods employed. And this created a mind set of producing large families. This was because large families meant free labor. It also meant children to support you in your old age. This is not just a Chinese pattern. It is a pattern manifest in all agricutural societies, even in the United States. My father's farm family had 11 children. An American reader writes, "The point about large families makes sense. We see similar styles in rural European and American families, especially in Catholic Countries and enclaves. I even remember certain Catholic families having 8 or more children (Irish and Italian families mostly) when I grew up in the 1960s." But it is especially important concerning China because agriculture was so important and China was so late to industrialize. Here sons were much more important than daughters. They carried on the family name and could be dependened on to care for their parents in old age. In contrast, daughters requireda dowry when they married and then entboff to another family. These value became deeply imbedded in Chinese culture.

People's Republic

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power (1949) and when the Communist desire to control, they addressed demographic issues. Chairman Mao believe that China's large population was an assets. He reasoned that a large population would mean that many Chinese would survive a nuclear exchange. China women produced 2.7 children. (2.1 is needed to maintain a constant population.) After Mao, Communist leaders decided the population was out of control and instituted a one child policy (1979). And the CCP was phenomenally successful. A side effect was that millions of girl babies were aborted or euthanized. And by the time the one child policy was ended, the Chinese (especially women) have decided they do not want to have children, especially more than one. The major reason is that it is very expensive to have children. Free labor is no longer needed. Not to mention that children complicate careers. And the Chinese preference for boys means that the demographic balance has been upset. Millions of Chinese men now find that there is no women for them. This has mean that the normal population pattern is totally out of balance. India is now the world's most populace country. The Chinese population is declining. China which has become the workshop of the world is no longer producing the workers needed. and now faces a population collapse. The CCP was able to force Chinese women not to have children. It is now having little success in convincing them to have children.

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Created: 6:57 PM 7/26/2023
Last updated: 5:21 PM 7/27/2023