East Asian Irrigated Rice Cultivation

Timeline

1. c. -5000–-200Middle and lower Yangtze · ChinaEarly peoples developed simple dikes and drainage channels in wetlands and river valleys, completing the transition from wild to cultivated rice and gradually forming seedbed transplanting techniques.
2. 600–1300Taihu Plain · JiangnanPonds, dikes, and waterwheels became widespread; Song works such as Chen Fu's Nong Shu summarized seedbed raising, fertilization, and cooperative drainage and irrigation, deeply integrating rice cultivation with taxation and granary systems.
3. 1421–1430Core zone of East Asian rice cultivation · East AsiaJiangnan continued polder fields and waterwheel irrigation; Korea's Sejong court compiled agricultural treatises and standardized measures; Japan's Kinai and western provinces maintained reservoirs and water-allocation customs, with rice still the basis of tribute and military provisions.
4. 1900East Asian rice-farming region · East AsiaBreeding stations, chemical fertilizers, and mechanical transplanting were promoted; hybrid rice and water-saving irrigation further raised yields, transforming traditional cooperative irrigation into modern water management.