Champa Rice Introduction Technique

Timeline

1. c. 960–980Champa kingdom (source of introduction) · ChampaFujian merchants and expatriates traveled the South China Sea routes between Champa and Annam, bringing early-maturing, drought-tolerant rice seed back to Fujian for trial cultivation. Champa rice matures in about a hundred days with no photoperiod restriction, suiting Fujian's hillside fields and drylands, and quickly eased the food shortages that had prevailed in Fujian since the Five Dynasties.
2. c. 970–1000Coastal prefectures of Fujian · FujianChampa rice was promoted across coastal prefectures and counties of Fujian, where farmers accumulated experience in seed selection, seedling raising, and dry-field irrigation. By the late 10th century Fujian held large stocks of Champa rice seed, providing the seed source for the court's later transfer of 30,000 hu from Fujian northward to Jianghuai and Liangzhe, marking the technique's shift from sea-borne introduction to regionalized production.