The Changing Landscape in Rural South Fujian 237
much farther, not conβining their peregrinations to areas within the
boundaries of Quanzhou, but also venturing into Xinghua, a Fujian
prefecture north of Quanzhou, not to mention many other parts of the
country.^135 Some might go far west to Sichuan.^136 Late in the century, it
was estimated that 50 per cent of the Fujianese people had to live from
activities performed outside their homeland.^137
Probably the βirst major commercial activity undertaken by the South
Fujianese in the outside world was the grain-supply business. Sources
during the period of this study show that they depended on the provinces
of Zhejiang in the north and Guangdong in the south for their supplies
of grains and textiles.^138 They shipped rice in large quantities from
Wenzhou in Zhejiang and from Huizhou and Chaozhou in Guangdong.^139
The following quotation is characteristic in this respect:
The unproductivity of the land and the poverty of the people have
promoted commercial activity. People no longer feel sad to leave
their homeland for the Lower Yangzi and Guangdong areas.^140The grain trade was essential to their livelihood, especially after the
mid-Ming period. A contemporary work written during the Wanli reign
(1573‒1620) substantiates this point:
In recent years (after the mid-sixteenth century), the population
(in Quanzhou) has grown rapidly. Even hill products have ceased
to be produced and βish stocks are exhausted. People have to
rely on sea-going vessels (for their grain shipment from other
provinces).^141Toward the end of the dynasty, food shortages grew even more severe.
Just a few months’ discontinuity in rice supplies would ineluctably result
in starvation.^142
- Cited in Quanzhou fuzhi (1870 ed.), 20: 8b.
- See Song Yingxing 宋應星, Tiangong kaiwu 天工開物 [The exploitation of the
works of nature] (1637 ed.), pt. I, "on clothing", p. 12; He mentions merchants
brought raw silk back from Sichuan. - Xie Zhaozhe, Wu zazu, 4: 35.
- Cited in Quanzhou fuzhi (1870 ed.), 20: 3–4, 13b; also Zhangzhou fuzhi (1877
ed.), 38: 3. - Chen Renxi, Huangming shifa lu, 75: 6–7. Also cited in Quanzhou fuzhi (1870
ed.), 20: 13b; Chouhai tubian, 4: 20b–21a. - Pinghe xianzhi 平和縣志 [Gazetteer of Pinghe District] (1889 ed.; reprint,
Taipei: Ch'eng-wen, 1967), 10: 7b. - Quanzhou fuzhi (1870 ed.), 20: 13.
- Cited in ibid., 20: 13b.