Huang Zongxi's Law[3] (simplified Chinese: 黄宗羲定律; traditional Chinese: 黃宗羲定律), or Theory of Huang Zongxi,[4] is an observation made by Huang Zongxi (1610–1695) on how the burden of the peasants often increased rather than decreased during the various dynasties in Chinese history when attempts were made to reduce it.[5] This theorem was summarized[6] and named by the Chinese historian Qin Hui.[7]

Huang Zongxi's Law
Named afterHuang Zongxi
Summarized byQin Hui[1]
Definition"A vicious cycle in which attempts to alleviate rural taxes have led paradoxically to their growth"[2]
Huang Zongxi's Law
Simplified Chinese黄宗羲定律
Traditional Chinese黃宗羲定律
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHuángzōngxī dìng lǜ

Qin Hui summarized Huang Zongxi's criticism of China's tax reforms of the past dynasties, exposing their shortcomings of "the ill of steady accumulation" (积累莫返之害) as the "Huang Zongxi's Law".[8]

Definition

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All the previous reforms aimed at reducing the tax burden on the peasants eventually pushed up the tax burden on the peasants, which is known as "Huang Zongxi's Law".[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Yunhua Zhang (29 June 2018). Insights into Chinese Agriculture. Springer. pp. 62–. ISBN 9789811310508.
  2. ^ The Chinese Economy: Translations and Studies. M.E. Sharpe. 2005. pp. 4–.
  3. ^ Shouwen Zhang (26 October 2020). The New Horizon of China's Economic Law Theory. Springer. pp. 171–. ISBN 9789811588242.
  4. ^ Yi Pan (14 June 2017). Rural Welfare in China. Springer. pp. 212–. ISBN 978-3-319-56627-6.
  5. ^ "A letter about the early Qing thinker Huang Zongxi". Radio Free Asia. 2005-08-25.
  6. ^ Jin Xu (23 February 2021). Empire of Silver: A New Monetary History of China. Yale University Press. pp. 180–. ISBN 978-0-300-25827-1.
  7. ^ Xiaobo Zhang; Arjan De Haan; Shenggen Fan (4 June 2010). Narratives Of Chinese Economic Reforms: How Does China Cross The River?. World Scientific. pp. 167–. ISBN 978-981-4465-87-8.
  8. ^ From People-based to Democracy: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Huang Zongxi's People-based Thought. Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House. 2006. pp. 471–. ISBN 978-7-80715-199-9.
  9. ^ "The root causes of the downward pressure on China's economy". Financial Times. Feb 1, 2019.