Jiangnan Rice-Paddy System of the Ming

Timeline

1. 1368–1424Suzhou and Songjiang Prefectures · JiangsuThe early Ming court organized dredging of the Wusong River, Dianshan Lake, and other waterways, repaired Song-Yuan polder dikes, and implemented military-agricultural colonies and lijia tax collection, steadily restoring paddy acreage and yields around Taihu.
2. 1431–1440Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou and other prefectures of Southern Zhili · JiangnanDuring the Xuande era, Jiangnan promoted early-late rice rotation and Chinese milk-vetch green manure; combined with tax and corvée adjustments such as Zhou Chen's commutation of grain to silver, this eased peasant burdens, with polder-area grain surpluses supporting silk, cotton, and market-town economies and northward grain tribute transport.
3. 1700–1800Polder areas of the Taihu River basin · Taihu PlainIn the Qing, population growth pushed polder reclamation to its limits; pond and dike property rights and village compact management became more refined, and rice commercialization increased, but this also sowed the seeds of water-allocation disputes and flood hazards.