China's New Economy

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, agriculture progressed. Trade and commerce flourished. Cities grew and spread throughout China along with trade and commerce.
During the Tang Dynasty Northern China was wealthier than Southern China. Most of the land owners went south because of the wars and attacks from Mongolia that occurred. By 1207 about 65 million people lived in Southern China, and 50 million lived in Northern China.
Norther farmers grew mostly wheat and millet because of the cold and dry climate. Southern farmers grew mostly rice because of their warm and wet climate. Rice was the most popular product to grow in all China. Peasants also grew tea, cotton, and sugar. They also raised silk worms, feeding them with mulberry trees, to create silk. Tea was first used as a medicine until the 9th century where it became a national drink.
A new type of rice was brought from Southeast Asia. The rice was resistant from drought and grew within 2 months instead of 5. This product made the rice production boom. Farmers could plant more within the year with this new type of rice.
New tools helped the production of crops as well. Tools like the harrow, plow and chain pump improved productivity. The plow and harrow made it easier to prepare the fields for planting. Farmers used buffaloes to plow the fields. The chain pump helped irrigate land. Dams, dikes and gated channels helped move the water to where it was needed.
Farmers created flat areas called terraces on hillsides so they could farm. More and more land was used for farming causing land owners to become wealthier. They used paddies to raise the rice in. Paddies are flooded fields.
Trade and commerce was helped by water transportation. Traders used barges to transport the goods from place to place. Barges could travel up to 45 miles a day, which was faster than the oxcart, which traveled on land at 25 miles a day. To help the sailors find their way, the magnetic compass was created. It helped them find North, South, East, and West.
The growth of commerce cause people to want to move to cities and towns in China. Chinese cities became the largest in the world. People that moved to cities and towns in China could make a living as Merchants, traders, peddlers and shopkeepers. Also people preferred the social life in a town instead of on their farms. For some time, China's streets were very busy. Musicians, jugglers, acrobats and puppeteers began preforming in the streets for money. The change in urbanization changed the life or many Chinese people.