Song China's water transport revisited : a study of the 1077 commercial tax data

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Pacific Economic Review

Publication Date

2012

Volume

17

Issue

1

First Page

57

Last Page

85

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia

Abstract

This paper provides an overall assessment of water transport in Song China based on the 1077 commercial tax data. The analysis demonstrates that the extension of waterway networks, especially the major waterways that linked the north and the south, greatly reduced transportation costs. Development of 11th century water transportation was due to two reasons: the emergence of a national market during the Tang–Song transition and the massive construction of canals by the government.

DOI

10.1111/j.1468-0106.2011.00571.x

Print ISSN

1361374X

E-ISSN

14680106

Funding Information

The project received financial support from the China Historical GIS program at Harvard and the "Global Prices and Incomes before 1950, Stage 2" program sponsored by the US National Science Foundation (SES-0649062).{SES-0649062}

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2012 The Author. Pacific Economic Review © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Liu, G. W. (2012). Song China's water transport revisited: A study of the 1077 commercial tax data. Pacific Economic Review, 17(1), 57-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0106.2011.00571.x

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