What was the ancient economic structure of China?

The development of ancient agriculture can be divided into two stages based on the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Previously, China was in the stage of agricultural tools in the Stone Age, and its productivity was low. Therefore, the mode of production in this period was collective labor, and the relations of production were also state-owned land in slave society.

However, with the use of iron ware and Niu Geng in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and its subsequent spread, agricultural productivity increased rapidly, which made it possible for one household to work, which also brought about the change of production relations, that is, the establishment of feudal private ownership of land.

Since then, on the basis of attaching importance to agriculture in feudal society, especially on the basis of continuous innovation in agricultural production, China's agriculture has made progress in production tools, farming techniques and irrigation techniques, and finally completed the transfer of economic center of gravity in the Song Dynasty, and the economic center of gravity shifted from the north to the south, that is, Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. The progress of agriculture finally enabled China to establish its own self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy, which was closely linked with the feudal society. Small-scale peasant economy is the foundation of feudal social stability, so maintaining small-scale peasant economy is the main means to maintain feudal rule. After that, capitalism sprouted and developed slowly in Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Therefore, the ancient economic structure of China was self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy (also known as natural economy).