Rice Seedling Transplantation

Timeline

1. c. 1100–1150Taihu Lake basin · JiangnanFrom the Northern Song to the early Southern Song, polder fields, ponds, and irrigation-drainage systems expanded and Jiangnan paddy acreage grew; southward population migration supplied labor, providing socioeconomic conditions for intensive seedling raising and transplanting.
2. c. 1171–1180Around Lin'an Prefecture · ZhejiangBy the mid-Southern Song, Jiangnan commonly raised seedlings in nursery beds before transplanting, using plows, harrows, and ladle-bailers; double-cropping regions raised land utilization by shortening nursery occupancy and rushing harvest and planting, supporting grain supply to major cities like Lin'an.
3. c. 1140–1200Jiangnan countryside · JiangnanChen Fu's Nong Shu detailed rice seed soaking, sprouting, nursery management, and transplanting row and hill spacing, becoming the classic text on Southern Song Jiangnan rice techniques; later works like the Gengzhi Tu also depicted seedling transplanting scenes as the technique spread to South China and beyond.