China's ancient economic characteristics.

The ancient economic form of China was small-scale peasant economy, which was formed in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It is a small-scale economic form, with simple and backward production methods and tools and low production income. This is the basic mode of production in Chinese traditional agricultural society. It has six main characteristics.

First, the combination of agriculture and cottage industry. Taking the family as the living unit, farmers' production is usually a combination of agriculture and cottage industry. At best, people work in the fields to feed their families, but they have no clothes to wear, which will inevitably lead to family sideline and handicraft industry. Therefore, in their spare time, people make simple handicrafts at home to solve the family's clothing problem. For example, in the well-known Huangmei opera "The Fairy Couple", "Both husband and wife go home" sings: "You plow the fields and I weave, you carry water and I water the garden." In Bai Juyi's "Zhu Chencun", "Shuttle creaks, cows and donkeys go around. Women are in the water and men are paid in the mountains. " These words reflect the economic life scene of "men plowing and women weaving" living and working in peace and contentment. While operating agriculture and cottage industries, farmers also operate household sideline businesses such as family animal husbandry, melon and fruit planting, cloth, silk and flax to meet other living needs and pay taxes.

Second, the family is the basic unit of production and life, intensive cultivation. Hand tools for personal use only determine that the small-scale peasant economy is an economic form with individual families as production and living units and "a family of five governs a hundred acres of land". With the help of their families, individual farmers independently complete the whole production process of main products, generally without external cooperation, which belongs to the nature of individual labor. Because production is limited to the family labor force, the land cultivated by farmers is limited to the cultivated area within the family's ability, and the scale of operation is small. Farmers in their limited land, in order to maintain food and clothing, strive to improve farming techniques, as much as possible to obtain products, and have made important contributions to intensive farming in China.

Third, the products produced are used for self-consumption or tax payment, which is a self-sufficient natural economy. Under the small-scale peasant economy, farmers work hard to produce products on their limited and barren land for one year in order to meet their basic food and clothing and pay state taxes, and there is basically no surplus for commodity exchange. "Spring ploughing Xia Yun, autumn harvest and winter storage, spring does not avoid dust, summer does not avoid heat, autumn does not avoid rain, winter does not avoid cold and freezing. Between four o'clock and the day of death. " (The Book on Turtle Speed in the Western Han Dynasty) is a description of farmers' long-term hard work; "And private greetings, hanged, orphans. This is a true portrayal of farmers' self-sufficiency. When the weather is fine, farmers' products have a certain surplus before going to the market for sale.

Fourth, it is the main undertaker of national taxes and corvee, and it is the economic basis for the survival and development of feudal society. Small-scale peasant economy is the main source of financial income of feudal dynasties, and farmers are the main undertakers of state taxes and the fundamental guarantee of state corvee and military service, so the stability of small-scale peasants is the stability of the country, and the prosperity of small-scale peasants is the prosperity of the country. The prosperity of small-scale peasant economy is related to the rise and fall of feudal economy and feudal regime. In the early days of the feudal dynasty, the Ming emperor paid attention to protecting the small-scale peasant economy and agricultural production in order to maintain feudal rule. For example, in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, the policy of "land to the tiller" began with Emperor Gaozu's "exemption from corvee for several years" ... reducing land rent, fifteen taxes and one tax; When Emperor Wendi and Emperor Jingdi reduced the land rent, the tax was 30%, or even no land rent was collected for more than ten years. The result is "the country is rich and the people are strong". In the early Tang Dynasty, the system of land equalization and rent adjustment was implemented to ensure that farmers had a certain amount of land for agricultural production, ensure farmers' production time, and encourage farmers to take classes in agriculture and mulberry, which led to a rare prosperity in history-"Zhenguan rule" and "Kaiyuan prosperity".

Fifth, it is closed and backward. The self-sufficiency of small-scale peasant economy enables farmers to meet their basic needs without leaving home. Except for salt and iron, they generally don't need to ask outside, and their lives are relatively stable. They can live without contact with the outside world. Move to another place and settle in Changle. Therefore, under the small-scale peasant economy, farmers live in a closed life, have little communication with the outside world, lack enterprising and anxious consciousness, are unwilling to settle down, lack competitive consciousness, consciously think narrowly, and have a single and backward way of thinking. "Every family keeps the village business, and the head is white and does not go out. Life is a villager, and death is a village dust. (Bai Juyi's Zhu Chencun) reflects the closeness and backwardness of the small-scale peasant economy.

Sixth, stability and fragility. Under the small-scale peasant economy, farmers have certain land and simple means of production, have the enthusiasm for production, and can survive and reproduce under relatively barren natural conditions; Because it takes the family as the production and living unit, it is easy to achieve the balance between production and consumption through thrift. As long as a farmer is not too lazy, as long as there is no drought or flood disaster for one year, and as long as there are no major diseases and other accidents at home, he can have plenty of food and clothing, so the small-scale peasant economy has a stable side. However, due to the small scale of operation and the lack of ability to accumulate and reserve, most peasant families will fall into poverty, lose their land or go bankrupt and go into exile under the conditions of serious natural disasters, heavy taxes, exploitation by businessmen and usurers and merger of feudal landlords in feudal countries. Therefore, the small-scale peasant economy is very unstable and fragile. For example, in the Western Han Dynasty's Lun Gui Su, it is said that "diligence is like this, but it is still suffering from floods and droughts, and taxes are urgently levied, and when it is collected, it will be changed at dusk. If you have it, you will sell it for half a year; Dead people, double interest. So there are people and descendants who sell farmland houses to pay the bill. " This fully shows the fragility of the small-scale peasant economy in the face of natural and man-made disasters.