The Economic Development of Shang Dynasty in the Ancient History of China

Lead: Shang Dynasty is the second feudal dynasty of slavery after Xia Dynasty. Shang Dynasty was very powerful, especially during Wuding's reign, its economic and military strength reached its peak. At that time, the Shang Dynasty was undoubtedly the strongest in agriculture, commerce and handicrafts. It is no exaggeration to say that Shang Dynasty was the most powerful country in the world.

Dai Agriculture: Agriculture in Shang Dynasty

Speaking of agriculture, I think we all know that the scale of agricultural production in China is one of the best in the world. Such a strong agricultural strength naturally benefits from our ancestors. In ancient times, farming began to appear in Xia dynasty, and by Shang dynasty, the development of farming level was already very high. Agricultural crops in Shang Dynasty mainly included millet, millet, rice and wheat. Among them, millet is the main plant.

The Shang Dynasty, like the Xia Dynasty, also implemented the state-owned land system, that is, the land was owned by the state and had little to do with the people. All farmers work for the country like slaves. Its basic system mainly includes:

1. Farmers own 70 mu of land as private property.

All government officials and nobles, regardless of their status, have the obligation to cultivate seven acres of land.

3. Implement the system of "fixing production quotas to households" for public land.

Handle of plow farm tool

This system has made great progress than in the past. It allows farmers to own their own land, which greatly mobilizes the enthusiasm of farmers.

Although the Shang Dynasty made great achievements in bronze smelting, according to the economic level at that time, bronzes were not widely integrated into agriculture, and the tools used by serfs were still shovels and sickles made of stone and wood. Among them, the wooden "lei" and "si" are the most representative, and today's rake and shovel are evolved from these two tools.

Shovel farm tools used in ancient China

In ancient times, wild animals often appeared in wild forests and grass, so people were particularly afraid, but they still wanted to develop this land for farming, so in order to drive away wild animals and develop farmland, people began to set fire to open up wasteland. After the fire is extinguished, the land will be slightly sorted out and planted to turn the barren land into arable land. This method, which was widely used by later generations, is called "fire ploughing".

People planted seeds in the fields after the fire.

During the Shang Dynasty, people had understood the methods of using human manure and livestock manure as agricultural fertilizers, which greatly increased crop yield. The system of "fixing production quotas to households" implemented in Shang dynasty greatly promoted the development of agriculture in Shang dynasty, which was beneficial to handicraft industry and commerce in Shang dynasty.

Sleeping silkworm, peeled mulberry leaves: handicraft industry in Shang Dynasty

Like agriculture in Shang dynasty, handicraft industry in Shang dynasty also occupied a very important position in commercial economy.

At that time, the smelting technology of bronzes in Shang Dynasty was very exquisite, and bronzes were widely used in the military field, so the handicraft industry at that time developed particularly rapidly, and usually nearly 10 thousand weapons could be produced in a short time.

With such a huge bronze production, the Shang dynasty established many laws and regulations to supervise it, and its nature is just like that of the current supervision bureau.

Bronze culture in Shang dynasty

When it comes to handicraft industry in Shang dynasty, we can't help but mention the pottery industry in Shang dynasty. In addition to producing a large number of gray pottery, the proportion of red pottery and black pottery is also very large, and a small amount of exquisite white pottery is also produced for officials to appreciate.

White pottery in Shang dynasty

The types of pottery in Shang Dynasty can be roughly divided into living pottery and building pottery. As the name implies, household pottery is the pottery used in people's daily life, such as bowls, beans, pots and so on. A small amount of pottery is used for burial. Building pottery is mainly gray pottery, which is mainly used in building production and so on. The three-way pipe at the end of Shang Dynasty is the best example.

Three-way pipe in Shang dynasty

Textile industry is an important part of manual production in Shang Dynasty. Although it belongs to the textile industry, it is closely related to agriculture.

Agricultural production promoted sericulture, which in turn promoted the textile industry. Silk and linen textile technology in Shang Dynasty was superb. Archaeologists found fragments of broken linen in Shang dynasty dwellings, which were identified as hemp fibers, and their manufacturing technology was very close to that of linen in Western Han Dynasty.

Shang dynasty textiles

The originator of commerce: commerce in Shang Dynasty

From the name of the Shang dynasty, we can know that the business of the Shang dynasty was very developed. In fact, it should not be said that Shang Dynasty invented commerce.

Wang Hai, the seventh monarch of Shang Dynasty, developed production by taming cattle and horses, and then invented the ox cart. Wang Hai used cattle and horses to transport goods in tribes outside Shang Dynasty. Over time, people have turned traders into businessmen, called the traded goods commodities, and called those engaged in commerce merchants. Later generations called Wang Hai "the originator of commerce", so commerce was born in Shang Dynasty.

Wang Hai deals with others.

Since the capital was founded in Shang Dynasty, there have been floods for more than 200 years, so the capital was frequently moved, which led to a very depressed economy. However, since Pan Geng moved to Yin, the capital was stable and the economy of Shang Dynasty improved. When Wu Ding was in power, as Wu Ding went out to crusade against small countries, the territory was constantly expanding, and the economy of Shang Dynasty once reached its peak.

"Xiangtu is very fierce and fierce, and there are interceptions overseas." From the cultural relics unearthed in the Yin and Shang Dynasties, it can be seen that there are whale bones. As can be seen from here, merchants have extensive transactions, so the commodity economy is developed.

Colorful Shang dynasty

What is bronze? Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, and its color is mostly cyan, so it is called "bronze". The earliest places to enter the bronze age in history are Egypt and the two river basins, which began more than 3000 years BC. It has a long history, and the bronze smelting technology of Shang Dynasty is very mature.

Shang dynasty bronze ritual vessels

There are many kinds of bronzes in Shang dynasty, which are divided into ritual vessels, weapons and musical instruments, among which the most noble is ritual vessels. At that time, the princes and nobles of Shang Dynasty believed in witchcraft and often made divination sacrifices, so ritual vessels became the main objects of noble sacrifices.

Bronze was also used to cast weapons, and famous officials or military commanders at that time would carve some patterns on weapons to represent themselves.

Shang dynasty bronze knife

Shang dynasty also made some achievements in the lunar calendar. On the basis of Xia Dynasty, the calendar of Shang Dynasty adjusted the calendar of Yin and Yang to make it more complete. The well-known "leap moon" was invented by Shang Dynasty. The lunar calendar has 30 days for the big moon and 29 days for the small moon. If we combine the different days of the solar calendar and the lunar calendar, there will be an extra month, so this year will be a leap month.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty

Shang dynasty had a great influence on later generations. The Shang Dynasty invented writing, that is, Oracle Bone Inscriptions. The invention of characters is an important symbol of mankind's entry into civilized society, which is of great significance to the inheritance and exchange of civilizations in various countries.

Conclusion: The Shang Dynasty gave birth to commerce, which made people have the concept of commerce for the first time: "bartering things for things", which changed the original economic system and promoted the development of human history. Such a prosperous Shang Dynasty also made great achievements in agriculture, and invented "lei" and "si", which laid a good foundation for the future development of agriculture. The development of agriculture promoted the textile industry and made the Shang Dynasty achieve great success in the textile industry. Such a rich and powerful economy has a great influence on the bronze ware manufacturing industry, making bronzes popular. Undoubtedly, the contribution of Shang Dynasty to science and technology in this period was enormous. It invented the "leap moon" and characters, which promoted the development of human beings from primitive tribes to civilized society.