What crops are grown in China?

A female tractor driver in China, pictured in a 1964 poster.

Agriculture is a vital industry in China employing over 300 million farmers. China ranks first in the world in agricultural production, primarily producing rice, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, vegetable oil and soybeans.

History

Agricultural development throughout Chinese history has played a key role in supporting population growth, and today China has the largest population in the world. Analysis of stone tools by Professor Liu Li and others has shown that the origins of Chinese agriculture go back to the pre-agricultural Paleolithic. During this time, hunters and gatherers used the same tools to harvest wild plants that were later used for millet and rice.

Remains of domesticated millet have been found in northern China at Xinglongwa, Hawley, Dadian, Chishan, and a few at Paleigan. These locations cover the period 6250-5050 BC Footnote error ?: Incorrect call: Key not specified The amount of domesticated millet consumed in these locations was quite low compared to other plants In Xinglongwa, millet accounted for only 15% of all plants that were used in 6200-5400 BC. NS.; this figure changed by 99% in 2050-1550 BC. Error in footnotes ?: Invalid challenge: key was not specified Experiments have shown that millet requires very little human intervention to grow it, which means that there is a clear change in archaeological data that could demonstrate millet cultivation does not exist Error in footnotes ?: Invalid call: no key was specified

Excavations at Kuahuqiao, in the earliest Neolithic territories in eastern China, documented rice cultivation 7,700 years ago. Footnote mistake ?: Wrong challenge: Key not specified About half of the crop was domestic cultivated rice, while the other half was wild species rice.It is possible that the people in Kuahuqiao also cultivated wild rice. Footnote error ?: Incorrect call: no key was specified In the Hemudu area (circa 5500-3300 BC) in Yuyao and Banpo, near Xi'an City were found tools for collecting millet and shovel-shaped tools made of stone and bone. Evidence of settled rice farming was found in the Hemudu area of ​​Tianluoshan (5000-4500 BC), at which time rice was already becoming the mainstay of agriculture in the Majiban culture in southern China. indicated

There is also a long tradition of involving agriculture in Chinese mythology. In his book Continuous Agriculture: Farmers of the Forties (1911), Professor Franklin Hiram King described and extolled the values ​​of traditional farming methods in China.

Improving the farming method

Due to China's status as a developing country and its acute shortage of arable land, agriculture in China has always been very labor intensive. However, throughout its history, many methods have been developed or borrowed, which have resulted in increased agricultural production and production efficiency. They also used seeders to improve farming.

During the spring and fall period (722-481 BC), there were two revolutionary improvements in agricultural technology. One was the use of cast iron tools and pack animals to pull the plow, and the other was the large-scale development of rivers and the development of water-saving projects. Engineer Sunshu Ao, who lived in the 6th century BC. NS. and Ximen Bao, who lived in the 5th century BC. NS. are two of China's oldest hydraulic engineers, whose work was aimed at improving irrigation systems. These advances were widespread during the ensuing Warring States Period (403-221 BC) and culminated in the construction of the Dujiangyan Colossal Irrigation System designed by Li Bing in 256 BC. NS. for the Qin State in Ancient Sichuan.

For agricultural purposes, the Chinese invented a hydraulic jackhammer in the 1st century BC, during the Ancient Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). Although it had other uses, its main function is to grind, clean and grind grain, otherwise it would have been done by hand. The Chinese also invented a rectangular pan chain pump in the 1st century AD, which is powered by a water wheel or the action of oxen on a mechanical wheel system. Although the chain pump has found applications in public works to provide water to urban and palace piping systems, it has also been widely used to lift water from lower to higher levels to fill irrigation canals and farmland canals.

During the Eastern Jin (317-420) and the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), the Silk Road and other international trade routes further spread agricultural technologies throughout China. Political stability and a growing workforce led to economic growth, with people opening up large swaths of wasteland and building irrigation facilities to expand agricultural land. Land use became more intensive and efficient, rice was grown twice a year, and livestock was used for plowing and fertilization.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), China became a single feudal-agrarian society. Advances in agricultural technology during this era included the creation of a moldboard plow and a water mill. Later, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), cotton planting and weaving techniques were widely adopted and improved.

While in 750 75% of the Chinese population lived north of the Yangtze River, by 1250 75% of the population was already living south of the river. This large-scale internal migration was made possible by the introduction of a fast-maturing rice variety from Vietnam that is suitable for multi-crop cultivation.

During the Qing, Ming and Yuan dynasties, there was an increase in the organization of collective aid among farmers.

In 1909, in the United States, Professor of Agriculture Franklin Hiram King made an extensive tour of China (as well as Japan and a short time to Korea) and described the methods of farming modern for that time. He positively described China's agriculture as "continuous farming" and his book "Farmers of the Forties" was published posthumously in 1911, becoming an agricultural classic and a favorite reference for organic farming advocates.

People's Republic of China

After the Chinese Communist Party won the Chinese Civil War, control of agricultural land was taken from landlords and redistributed among 300 million peasants. In 1952, the government, gradually consolidating its power after the civil war, began organizing the peasants into collectives. Three years later, these collectives were merged into production cooperatives, adopting the Socialist model of collective land ownership. Then, in 1956, the government officially took control of the land, continuing to further structure the farmland into large state-owned collective farms.

In 1958, the Great Leap Forward campaign, initiated by Mao Zedong, placed land use under stricter government regulation in order to improve agricultural production. In particular, the campaign to eradicate sparrows had a direct negative impact on agriculture. Collectives were organized into communes, private food production was prohibited, and collective consumption became compulsory. There was also a lot of emphasis on industrialization instead of agriculture. The agricultural inefficiencies created by this campaign led to the Great Chinese Famine, which killed 14 million people, according to government figures, and 20 to 43 million according to scientific estimates. Although private land was reclaimed in 1962 due to this failure, communes remained the predominant rural units of economic organization during the Cultural Revolution, with Mao's "learn from Tachai" campaign. Semi-literate Party Secretary Tachai Chen Yungi was among those who were outwitted by Deng Xiaoping after Mao's death: in 1982-1985. Dazhai-style communes were gradually replaced by volosts.

In 1978, as part of the “four modernization” campaign, the family productivity responsibility system was created, which disbanded the communes and gave responsibility for agricultural production to individual households. They now set quotas for the harvest they must provide to their collective unit in exchange for tools, draft animals, seeds and other necessities. Households that now lease land from their collectives are free to use their farmland as they see fit, as long as they meet these quotas. This freedom has provided more opportunities for individual families to meet their individual needs. In addition to these structural changes, the Chinese government also participates in irrigation projects (such as the Three Gorges), operates large state farms, and encourages mechanization and the use of fertilizers.

By 1984, when about 99% of the collective farm's production brigades had adopted the family productivity system, the government began further economic reforms aimed primarily at liberalizing agricultural pricing and marketing. In 1984, the government replaced compulsory supplies with voluntary contracts between farmers and the government. Later in 1993, the government canceled a 40-year grain rationing system, which resulted in more than 90 percent of all annual agricultural products being sold at market prices.

Since 1994, the government has introduced a series of policy changes aimed at limiting grain imports and increasing economic stability. Among these policy changes was the artificial increase in grain prices above market levels. This led to an increase in grain production, placing the heavy burden of maintaining these prices on the government. In 1995, the Government Grain Responsibility System was established, in which provincial governors became responsible for balancing grain supplies, as well as demand and stabilizing grain prices in their provinces. Later, in 1997, the Four Sections and One Excellence program was implemented to ease some of the government's monetary burden on its grain policy.

As China continues to industrialize, vast areas of agricultural land are being converted into industrial land. Farmers displaced by this urban expansion often become labor migrants in factories, but other farmers feel disenfranchised and deceived by the encroachment of industry and growing inequality between urban and rural wealth and income.

The newest innovation in Chinese agriculture is the push towards organic farming. This rapid implementation of organic agriculture simultaneously serves multiple purposes: food safety, health benefits, export opportunities, and price premiums provided for rural community products can help stem the migration of rural workers to cities. In the mid-1990s, China became a net grain importer, as its unsustainable groundwater extraction practices effectively removed a significant amount of land from fertile farmland.

Main types of agricultural products

Harvest distribution

Although China's agricultural output is the largest in the world, only about 15% of the total land area is suitable for cultivation. China's arable land, which accounts for only 10% of the world's total arable land, supports over 20% of the world's population. Of this approximately 1.4 million square kilometers of arable land, only about 1.2% (116,580 square kilometers) are permanently cropped and 525,800 square kilometers are irrigated. The land is divided into approximately 200 million households, with an average land size of just 0.65 hectares (1.6 acres).

Limited agricultural space in China has been a problem throughout its history, leading to chronic food shortages and hunger. While the efficiency of farmland production increased over time, efforts to expand westward and northward met with limited success, as these lands were in most cases colder and drier than traditional farmland in the east. Since the 1950s, growing demands for industry and cities have also put pressure on farm space.

Suburban agriculture

Bok choi

- greens grown in square areas outside the railway stations in

Ezhou

Such growth in urban size, such as the increase in the Beijing Administrative Region from 4.822 km² in 1956 to 16.808 km² in 1958, has led to an increased use of suburban agriculture. This "outlying agriculture" resulted in more than 70% of Beijing's non-staple food, mostly vegetables and milk, produced by the city itself in the 1960s and 1970s. Recently, with relative food security in China, agriculture in suburban areas has improved the quality of food available, but not more. One of the latest experiments in peri-urban agriculture is the modern agricultural science demonstration park in Xiaotangshan.

Food crops

About 75% of China's cultivated area is used for food crops. Rice is the most important crop in China, accounting for about 25% of the cultivated area. Most of the rice is grown south of the Huai River, in the Zhujiang Delta, as well as in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces.

Wheat is the second most common grain crop grown in most parts of the country, especially in the North China Plain and in the Wei and Feng Rivers in the Loess Plateau, as well as in Jiangsu, Hubei and Sichuan provinces. Corn and millet are grown in the north and northeast of China, and oats in Inner Mongolia and Tibet.

Other crops include sweet potatoes in the south, white potatoes in the north, and various other fruits and vegetables. Tropical fruits are grown in Hainan Island, apples and pears are grown in northern Liaoning and Shandong.

Oilseeds are important in Chinese agriculture as they replace edible and industrial oils and constitute a significant share of agricultural exports. In North and Northeast China, Chinese soybeans are grown, which are used in tofu and vegetable edible oil. China is also a leading producer of peanuts, which are grown in Shandong and Hebei provinces. Other grown oilseeds are sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, rapeseed and tung seeds.

Citrus fruits are the main commercial crops in southern China, and their production is scattered along and south of the Yangtze River Valley. Mandarins are the most popular citrus fruits in China, about twice as many as oranges.

Other important food crops for China include green and jasmine tea (popular with the Chinese population), black tea (for export), sugar cane, and sugar beets. Tea plantations are located on the slopes of the middle Yangtze Valley and in the Southeast Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. Sugar cane is grown in Guangdong and Sichuan, while sugar beets are grown in Heilongjiang and irrigated land in Inner Mongolia. The lotus is widely cultivated in southern China. Arabian coffee is grown in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

Fiber crops

China is the leader in cotton production, which is grown everywhere, but especially in the North China Plain, in the Yangtze River Delta, in the middle of the Yangtze Valley and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Other crops include ramie, flax, jute, and hemp fibers. Sericulture and silkworm breeding practices are practiced in Central and South China.

Livestock

China has a large livestock population, with pigs and poultry being the most common. China's pig population and pork production are mainly located along the Yangtze River. In 2011, the number of pigs in Sichuan province was 51 million (11% of the total supply in China). In rural areas of western China, sheep, goats and camels are raised by shepherds.In Tibet, domesticated yaks are bred for food, fuel and shelter. Cattle, buffaloes, horses, mules and donkeys are also raised in China, and dairy farming has also recently been encouraged by the government, although approximately 92.3% of adults experience some level of lactose intolerance.

As the demand for delicacies grows, the production of exotic meat products increases. Based on data from a survey of 684 Chinese turtle farms (less than half of all 1,499 officially registered turtle farms in the survey year 2002), they sold more than 92,000 tonnes of turtles (about 128 million animals) per year; this is estimated to correspond to an industrial production of over 300 million turtles per year.

The increased income and demand of citizens for meat, especially pork, led to the demand for improved breeds of livestock, pedigree cattle, imported, in particular, from the United States. Some of these breeds are adapted to livestock farms.

Fishing

China accounts for about one third of the world's total fish production. Fishing and fish farming in ponds and lakes account for more than half of its production. The main fishing regions are located close to urban markets in the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River Valley and the Pearl Delta.

Production

In the first fifty years, the People's Republic of China significantly increased agricultural production through organizational and technological improvements.

Culture	volume production (tons)	volume production (tons)	volume of production (tons)
1.	Corn	113,180,000	304,770,000	508,390,000
2.	Cotton	444,000	2,167,000	3,831,000
3.	Oilseeds	2,564,000	5,218,000	26,012,000
4.	Sugar cane	2,642,000	21,116,000	74,700,000
5.	Sugar beet	191,000	2,702,000	8,640,000
6.	Fat tobacco	43,000	1,052,000	2,185,000
7.	Tea	41,000	268,000	676,000
8.	Fruits	1,200,000	6,570,000	62,376,000
9.	Meat	2,200,000	8,563,000	59,609,000
10.	Seafood	450,000	4,660,000	41,220,000

However, since 2000, depletion of China's main aquifers has resulted in an overall decline in grain production, making China a net importer. The trend of China's dependence on food imports is expected to accelerate as water shortages intensify. Despite their potential, the desalination system finds few customers because it is still cheaper to continue using rivers, lakes and aquifers even if they are depleted.

As of 2011, China was the world's largest producer and consumer of agricultural products. However, researcher Lin Erda announced a possible projected decline from 14% to 23% by 2050 due to water scarcity and other impacts on climate change; China increased its share of the budget for agriculture by 20% in 2009, and also continues to support measures to improve energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other efforts, including investments such as the 30% green component of the 586 billion financial stimulus package. dollars announced in November 2008.

Problems

Strawberry fields in

Yuxi

, Yunnan

Inefficiency of the agricultural market

Despite the explosive growth in production, the Chinese agricultural sector still faces a number of challenges. Farmers in several provinces such as Shandong, Zhejiang, Anhui, Liaoning and Xinjiang often face a period when it is very difficult to sell their agricultural products to customers due to a lack of information on current conditions.

There is a chain of intermediaries between the producing farmers in rural areas and the final consumer in the cities. Due to the lack of information between them, it is very difficult for farmers to predict the demand for different types of fruits and vegetables. In order to maximize their profits, they choose to produce those fruits and vegetables that, in the previous year, led to the highest incomes for farmers in the region.However, if most farmers do this, then it causes significant fluctuations in the supply of fresh products from year to year. With regard to scarce products, they may be produced in surplus in one year, then higher profits are expected next year. The result is an oversupply, which forces producers to cut prices and sell at a loss. So, scarce products can become profitable in one year and unprofitable in the next, and vice versa.

Economic efficiency is further impaired when agricultural products are transported from farms to real markets. According to the Department of Commerce, up to 25% of fruits and vegetables rot before they are sold, compared with about 5% in a typical developed country. If the middlemen cannot sell these rotten fruits, then they pay the farmers less than if they could sell most or even all of the fruits and vegetables. This lowers the income of farmers, although the problem is caused by post-production inefficiencies, which they are not aware of during price negotiations with middlemen.

These information and transport problems highlight the ineffectiveness of market mechanisms between farmers and end consumers, which prevent the former from taking advantage of the rapid development of the rest of the Chinese economy. As a result, small profits prevent them from investing in the necessary agricultural inputs (machinery, seeds, fertilizers, etc.) to increase productivity and improve their standard of living, from which the entire Chinese economy could benefit. This, in turn, increases the outflow of people from rural areas to cities that already face urbanization problems.

international trade

China is the world's largest importer of soybeans and other food crops and is expected to become the largest importer of agricultural products over the next decade. In 2017, farmers from their fishery in Donggaozhuang began selling yarn on an online marketplace owned by Alibaba. Many farmers later sold their land to focus on online sales, as access to global consumers brought in far more income than traditional farming.

Although agricultural production in China was quite capable of feeding the country for many years, in the following years China was forced to import grain. Due to a lack of available farmland and an abundance of labor, it may be necessary to import land crops (such as wheat and rice) to save China's small cropland from high-cost export products such as fruits, nuts or vegetables. However, in order to maintain an independent grain income and ensure food security, the Chinese government has adopted policies that stimulate grain production at the expense of more profitable crops. Despite tough restrictions on crop production, China's agricultural exports have increased significantly in recent years.

Government influence

One of the important motivations for the revitalization of international trade was China's inclusion in the World Trade Organization (WTO) on December 11, 2001, which led to the reduction or elimination of tariffs on most of China's agricultural exports. As a result of the opening of international markets to Chinese agriculture, by 2004 the value of China's agricultural exports exceeded US $ 17.3 billion. Since China's accession to the WTO, trade in agricultural products has not been liberalized to the same extent as trade in manufactured goods. Markets inside China are still relatively closed to foreign companies.Due to its large and growing population, it is assumed that if its agricultural markets were open, China would become a permanent net importer of food, possibly even destabilizing the global food market. The barriers imposed by the Chinese government on grain are not transparent as the state-owned grain trade in China is done through its Grain, Oil and Food Import and Export Corporation (COFCO).

food security

As a developing country, China has relatively low sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) for its agricultural products. Government corruption, such as the bribery of the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration Zheng Xiaoyu, also complicated regulatory difficulties in China Excessive pesticide residues, poor food hygiene, dangerous additives, contamination with heavy metals and other pollutants, and misuse veterinary drugs have led to trade restrictions with developed countries such as Japan, the United States and the European Union. These concerns have also led to public outrage, such as panic over dog food containing melamine and restrictions on imports of carcinogenic contaminants, which have led to measures such as the “no China” label. ...

According to the Ministry of the Environment of the People's Republic of China, about one tenth of China's agricultural land is contaminated with heavy metals.

Organic food

Suppliers

China has developed a Green Food program, which certifies products for low pesticide content. This division has been formulated into categories A and AA. This AA Green Food standard has been aligned with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) international standards for organic farming and is the basis for the rapid expansion of organic farming in China.

see also

• History of china
• Agricultural history
• Channel history in China
• Lettuce production in China
• China Green Food Development Center
• Maximum water level in China
• Wang Zhen (official)
• Franklin Hiram King
• Land use in the People's Republic of China
• Fishing in China
• Women in agriculture in China

Links

Quotes

• Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics... Taipei: Caves Books Co., Ltd.

Further reading

• Dragon and Elephant: Agricultural and Rural Reform in China and India edited by Ashok Gulati and Shenggen Fan (2007), Johns Hopkins University Press
• Hsu, cho-yun. Khan of Agriculture (Washington, US Press, 1980)
• FAO Official Statistics
• Farmers, Mao, and Discontent in the PRC: From the Great Leap Forward to the Present by Dongping Han, Monthly Review, November 2009
• First National Agricultural Census of China (1997) National Bureau of Statistics of the PRC
• Gale, Fred. (2013). The growth and evolution of China's agricultural support policies. Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service.
• Communiqué on Basic Data from the Second National Census of Agriculture of China (2006), no. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 National Bureau of Statistics of China. Copies on the Internet Archive.

Psychologists from China and America published the results of studies that compared the properties of the mentality of the inhabitants of the "wheat" and "rice" regions of the Celestial Empire. Scientists have concluded that the agro-cultural traditions of the population affect the mentality of the population and its ability for an analytical way of thinking and individualism. Scientists published their research results in Science.

Many people mistakenly believe that China is a unified cultural space. However, studies have shown that in the Celestial Empire there are two distinct groups of people - "southerners" and "northerners". And the “southern” mindset is shaped by centuries of rice cultivation traditions that make people more dependent on each other. Differences in thinking between East and West were formed in a similar way.
Scientists conducted several sociological surveys among several thousand students from different cities of the PRC, according to which assessments of the propensity of young people to individualism or collectivism were given and analytical abilities were analyzed.
As a result of the study, a clear division of China in terms of mentality was revealed into two territories - south and north, with a border along the Yangtze River. The northerners turned out to be more inclined towards individualism and analytical thinking. And the southerners showed a greater desire for collectivism.
The identified zones exactly repeat the zones of wheat and rice cultivation in the ancient Chinese Empire and in the modern PRC. This is because rice cultivation requires the collective efforts of many people, and each new farmer increases the chances of a large harvest. But the cultivation of wheat does not require special collective work and allows the peasants of the north to manage the farm separately.
This theory also explains why China did not have an industrial breakthrough in the Middle Ages. As a result of wars and climate change, the administrative and political center of the empire was shifted to the south, and as a result, all technical innovations in the country came to naught.
As you can see, the current state of science and culture in modern times depends on the development of agriculture in antiquity. This is especially evident in agrarian China, because the traditions of agriculture in the country have many thousands of years of history. Below we will introduce readers to the three main agricultural crops in China.

1. Fig.

The cultivation of rice fields in the Celestial Empire has been practiced since ancient times. Numerous archaeological finds made in the territory of Zhejiang province have shown that rice was cultivated in China as early as 7 thousand years ago. And the first written mention of rice refers to the "Book of Songs", written in 7 centuries BC. Later, huge irrigation structures were built on the territory of southern China. Over the entire period of rice cultivation in the Celestial Empire, over 10 thousand varieties of this crop have been bred, many of which are still cultivated today. In total, over 40 thousand varieties and varieties of rice have been registered in China today. China ranks 2nd after India in terms of rice cultivation area, in terms of production - 1st. The main "rice" regions of China are located in the south of the country. Many popular dishes in China are made from rice. For example, mifeen rice noodles are very popular. Another popular product is rice vodka and yellow wine. In addition, rice is considered a medicinal product that is useful for digestion; baskets, mats, rice paper and colorful fans and umbrellas are made from rice straw.

2. Wheat.

Wheat is the second most important agricultural crop in China. In the Middle Kingdom, both spring and winter wheat are widespread. Winter climatic conditions are the main factor in the distribution of wheat varieties. The main sown area for wheat is located in the northern part of the country. And in Tibet, there are the highest mountain crops of spring wheat in the world - they grow at an altitude of more than 4 kilometers. Winter wheat is mainly grown in the Yellow River region, where the cold weather lasts more than 200 days a year. But even in the Yangtze region, winter crops of wheat are extremely important, although they play a secondary role.

3. Tea.

It is impossible to imagine the culture of China without tea.Today, the PRC produces more than 700 thousand tons of tea, a third of which is exported. The area of ​​land occupied by tea plantations exceeds 1 million hectares. Over the centuries of growing tea, the Chinese have developed a huge number of varieties of this drink. According to the latest data, the number of varieties of Chinese tea has exceeded 8 thousand items. All these types of tea are divided into 5 types according to the production method, 2 types according to quality, 4 types according to leaf size and 200 types according to the place of cultivation. Modern tea production in the Middle Kingdom is controlled by the Chinese National Natural Products Corporation. Several dozen standard varieties of this drink are allowed for export under certain names. But most of the tea grown - 80%, is consumed by the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. The majority of exports are green and black teas, with a small amount of red teas. Each tea-producing province in China prides itself on its own assortment of farmed teas with an original name. Therefore, the names of one type of tea can sound differently in different parts of China. In addition, certain varieties of green teas have several old names. Therefore, only a specialist can understand the issue of classifying various Chinese teas.

Source of this material

It is customary in China to grow agricultural plants, and this is the main component of the country's crop production. Arable land occupies more than one hundred million hectares, although this figure is gradually decreasing. Developed irrigation systems make it possible to successfully develop agriculture in China. Already at the end of the last century, two crops were harvested annually on farms in the Yandza River basin. In most regions of the vast country, the same thing happens.

Why is China's agriculture so successful? It's all about the climate, landscape and soil diversity. Agroecosystems have adapted to different conditions. In the highlands and in Tibet, it is good to breed cattle and animals for work in the field. The wide northern fields are ideal for growing cereals and legumes that are exported around the world. Where there is not enough water (Shanxi, Gansu), drought-resistant crops are popular, the varieties of which are constantly being developed by agronomists. On the plains (Shandong, Hebei), you can safely get more than two harvests, the fertile soil easily feeds grain and oilseeds.

The Yangtze River area is recognized as the most efficient place for agriculture and animal husbandry. It is this place that annually gives most of the gross volume of production. Sichuan Province, Guadong also has a climate suitable for active farming. Even citrus fruits and pineapples can grow in the subtropics. These products are mainly exported.

History of development

In the second half of the twentieth century, agriculture in China begins to actively develop. The loss of land for plowing began to be compensated for by the fact that it was possible to harvest several crops a year from them. In 50 years, the yield of wheat has increased 5 times, corn - 4 times, and traditionally cultivated rice has increased its indicators three times.

In 1976, the use of nitrogen fertilizers began, which became available to the general population. They are still popular in China: 250 kg of fertilizer are used per hectare of crops. At the same time, the purchase of urea plants abroad begins. Gradually, the country became a giant in the field of chemical fertilizers for agriculture.

After privatization, the land was given to families and was cultivated on a family contract basis. The target figures were gradually lowered and the lease period increased.

Plant growing

As for the crops grown, here the Chinese are striving to bring field, vegetable and horticultural crops to the first positions, the variety of varieties of which reaches dozens of names.

The most common seed crop is rice.It can be cultivated in all areas of the vast area of ​​China, its provinces and regions. Sometimes the crop is harvested two or three times. Wheat is in second place; it is sown with winter and spring crops. It can also be grown throughout the country.

In addition to these crops, China's agriculture is engaged in the cultivation of corn, barley, and millet. A popular variety of sorghum - gaoliang. Among the oilseeds, the Chinese have chosen peanuts, which have taken root well on the eastern side. Legumes are widely represented by soybeans, peas and forage varieties. Soy is extremely popular with the Chinese, they have developed 1200 varieties of this crop. Sweet potatoes, yams and cassava are also bred.

Chinese agriculture is not complete without cotton, sugarcane and beets. A lot of tea is produced - the favorite drink of the country's population.

Livestock

In this area of ​​agriculture, China is not doing well. Meat and milk production accounts for only 20% of the total. Despite the fact that a lot of animals are raised (for example, almost half of the world's pig population), there is not enough production per capita.

Pig rearing is the dominant animal husbandry in China. Among all meat, the local population chooses pork in 9 out of 10 cases. Each peasant has a small subsidiary farm. However, more often than not, the Chinese raise livestock for work in the field. These are horses, donkeys, oxen.

Dairy products are produced on suburban farms. Goats and sheep are widespread in the farms of the northern regions of the country, their cultivation is aimed at providing China's light industry.

Unlike animals, birds are bred more readily. In personal household plots, chickens, geese, and turkeys are raised. The suburbs are provided with poultry meat.

Other agricultural sectors in China

Beekeeping and silkworm breeding are very widespread in China. Apiaries can be found in every corner of this large country, but most of all in the north and east. The second place in the world for the supply of beekeeping products went to China. Mulberry and oak silkworms are grown in the south and north, respectively. This is a traditional type of economy dating back more than 4 thousand years.

Fishing in China is very popular. Fish are farmed right in the rice fields, shrimps, algae and various shellfish are grown near the seas.

A female tractor driver in China, pictured in a 1964 poster.

Agriculture is a vital industry in China employing over 300 million farmers. China ranks first in the world in agricultural production, primarily producing rice, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, vegetable oil and soybeans.

History

Agricultural development throughout Chinese history has played a key role in supporting population growth, and today China has the largest population in the world. Analysis of stone tools by Professor Liu Li and others has shown that the origins of Chinese agriculture go back to the pre-agricultural Paleolithic. During this time, hunters and gatherers used the same tools to harvest wild plants that were later used for millet and rice.

Remains of domesticated millet have been found in northern China at Xinglongwa, Hawley, Dadian, Chishan, and a few at Paleigan. These locations cover the period 6250-5050 BC Footnote error ?: Incorrect call: Key not specified The amount of domesticated millet consumed in these locations was quite low compared to other plants In Xinglongwa, millet accounted for only 15% of all plants that were used in 6200-5400 BC.NS.; this figure changed by 99% in 2050-1550 BC. Mistake in footnotes ?: Incorrect call: key was not specified Experiments have shown that millet requires very little human intervention to grow it, which means that there is a clear change in archaeological data that could demonstrate millet cultivation does not exist Error in footnotes ?: Invalid call: no key was specified

Excavations at Kuahuqiao, in the earliest Neolithic territories in eastern China, documented rice cultivation 7,700 years ago. Footnote mistake ?: Wrong challenge: Key was not specified Domesticated sown rice was about half of the crop, while wild species were the other half rice. It is possible that the people in Kuahuqiao also cultivated wild rice. Footnote error ?: Incorrect call: no key was specified In the Hemudu area (circa 5500-3300 BC) in Yuyao and Banpo, near Xi'an City were found tools for collecting millet and shovel-shaped tools made of stone and bone. Evidence of settled rice farming was found in the Hemudu area of ​​Tianluoshan (5000-4500 BC), at which time rice was already becoming the mainstay of agriculture in the Majiban culture in southern China. indicated

There is also a long tradition of involving agriculture in Chinese mythology. In his book Continuous Agriculture: Farmers of the Forties (1911), Professor Franklin Hiram King described and extolled the values ​​of traditional farming methods in China.

Improving the farming method

Due to China's status as a developing country and its acute shortage of arable land, agriculture in China has always been very labor intensive. However, throughout its history, many methods have been developed or borrowed, which have resulted in increased agricultural production and production efficiency. They also used seeders to improve farming.

During the spring and autumn period (722-481 BC), there were two revolutionary improvements in agricultural technology. One was the use of cast iron tools and pack animals to pull the plow, and the other was the large-scale development of rivers and the development of water-saving projects. Engineer Sunshu Ao, who lived in the 6th century BC. NS. and Ximen Bao, who lived in the 5th century BC. NS. are two of China's oldest hydraulic engineers, whose work was aimed at improving irrigation systems. These advances were widespread during the ensuing Warring States period (403-221 BC) and culminated in the construction of the Dujiangyan colloidal irrigation system designed by Li Bing in 256 BC. NS. for the Qin State in Ancient Sichuan.

For agricultural purposes, the Chinese invented a hydraulic jackhammer in the 1st century BC, during the Ancient Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). Although it had other uses, its main function is to grind, clean and grind grain, otherwise it would have been done by hand. The Chinese also invented a rectangular pan chain pump in the 1st century AD, which is powered by a water wheel or the action of oxen on a mechanical wheel system. Although the chain pump has found applications in public works to provide water to urban and palace piping systems, it has also been widely used to lift water from lower to higher levels to fill irrigation canals and farmland canals.

During the Eastern Jin (317-420) and the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), the Silk Road and other international trade routes further spread agricultural technologies throughout China. Political stability and a growing workforce led to economic growth, with people opening up large swaths of wasteland and building irrigation facilities to expand agricultural land. Land use became more intensive and efficient, rice was grown twice a year, and livestock was used for plowing and fertilization.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), China became a single feudal-agrarian society. Advances in agricultural technology during this era included the creation of a moldboard plow and a water mill. Later, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), cotton planting and weaving techniques were widely adopted and improved.

While in 750 75% of the Chinese population lived north of the Yangtze River, by 1250 75% of the population was already living south of the river. This large-scale internal migration was made possible by the introduction of a fast-maturing rice variety from Vietnam that is suitable for multi-crop cultivation.

During the Qing, Ming and Yuan dynasties, there was an increase in the organization of collective aid among farmers.

In 1909, in the United States, Professor of Agriculture Franklin Hiram King made an extensive tour of China (as well as Japan and a short time to Korea) and described the methods of farming modern for that time. He positively described China's agriculture as "continuous farming" and his book "Farmers of the Forties" was published posthumously in 1911, becoming an agricultural classic and a favorite reference for organic farming advocates.

People's Republic of China

After the Chinese Communist Party won the Chinese Civil War, control of agricultural land was taken from landlords and redistributed among 300 million peasants. In 1952, the government, gradually consolidating its power after the civil war, began organizing the peasants into collectives. Three years later, these collectives were merged into production cooperatives, adopting the Socialist model of collective land ownership. Then, in 1956, the government officially took control of the land, continuing to further structure the farmland into large state-owned collective farms.

In 1958, the Great Leap Forward campaign, initiated by Mao Zedong, placed land use under stricter government regulation in order to improve agricultural production. In particular, the campaign to eradicate sparrows had a direct negative impact on agriculture. Collectives were organized into communes, private food production was prohibited, and collective consumption became compulsory. There was also a lot of emphasis on industrialization instead of agriculture. The agricultural inefficiencies created by this campaign led to the Great Chinese Famine, which killed 14 million people, according to government figures, and 20 to 43 million according to scientific estimates. Although private land was reclaimed in 1962 due to this failure, communes remained the predominant rural units of economic organization during the Cultural Revolution, with Mao's "learn from Tachai" campaign. Semi-literate Party Secretary Tachai Chen Yungi was among those who were outwitted by Deng Xiaoping after Mao's death: in 1982-1985. Dazhai-style communes were gradually replaced by volosts.

In 1978, as part of the “four modernization” campaign, the family productivity responsibility system was created, which disbanded the communes and gave responsibility for agricultural production to individual households. They now set quotas for the harvest they must provide to their collective unit in exchange for tools, draft animals, seeds and other necessities. Households that now lease land from their collectives are free to use their farmland as they see fit, as long as they meet these quotas.This freedom has provided more opportunities for individual families to meet their individual needs. In addition to these structural changes, the Chinese government also participates in irrigation projects (such as the Three Gorges), operates large state farms, and encourages mechanization and the use of fertilizers.

By 1984, when about 99% of the collective farm's production brigades had adopted the family productivity system, the government began further economic reforms aimed primarily at liberalizing agricultural pricing and marketing. In 1984, the government replaced compulsory supplies with voluntary contracts between farmers and the government. Later in 1993, the government canceled a 40-year grain rationing system, which resulted in more than 90 percent of all annual agricultural products being sold at market prices.

Since 1994, the government has introduced a series of policy changes aimed at limiting grain imports and increasing economic stability. Among these policy changes was the artificial increase in grain prices above market levels. This led to an increase in grain production, placing the heavy burden of maintaining these prices on the government. In 1995, the Government Grain Responsibility System was established, in which provincial governors became responsible for balancing grain supplies, as well as demand and stabilizing grain prices in their provinces. Later, in 1997, the Four Sections and One Excellence program was implemented to ease some of the government's monetary burden on its grain policy.

As China continues to industrialize, vast areas of agricultural land are being converted into industrial land. Farmers displaced by this urban expansion often become labor migrants in factories, but other farmers feel disenfranchised and deceived by the encroachment of industry and growing inequality between urban and rural wealth and income.

The newest innovation in Chinese agriculture is the push towards organic farming. This rapid implementation of organic agriculture simultaneously serves multiple purposes: food safety, health benefits, export opportunities, and price premiums provided for rural community products can help stem the migration of rural workers to cities. In the mid-1990s, China became a net grain importer, as its unsustainable groundwater extraction practices effectively removed a significant amount of land from fertile farmland.

Main types of agricultural products

Harvest distribution

Although China's agricultural output is the largest in the world, only about 15% of the total land area is suitable for cultivation. China's arable land, which accounts for only 10% of the world's total arable land, supports over 20% of the world's population. Of this approximately 1.4 million square kilometers of arable land, only about 1.2% (116,580 square kilometers) are permanently cropped and 525,800 square kilometers are irrigated. The land is divided into approximately 200 million households, with an average land size of just 0.65 hectares (1.6 acres).

Limited agricultural space in China has been a problem throughout its history, leading to chronic food shortages and hunger. While the efficiency of farmland production increased over time, efforts to expand westward and northward met with limited success, as these lands were in most cases colder and drier than traditional farmland in the east. Since the 1950s, growing demands for industry and cities have also put pressure on farm space.

Suburban agriculture

Bok choi

- greens grown in square areas outside the railway stations in

Ezhou

This growth in urban size, such as the increase in the Beijing Administrative Region from 4.822 km² in 1956 to 16.808 km² in 1958, has led to an increased use of suburban agriculture. This "outlying agriculture" resulted in more than 70% of Beijing's non-staple food, mostly vegetables and milk, produced by the city itself in the 1960s and 1970s. Recently, with relative food security in China, agriculture in suburban areas has improved the quality of food available, but not more. One of the latest experiments in peri-urban agriculture is the modern agricultural science demonstration park in Xiaotangshan.

Food crops

About 75% of China's cultivated area is used for food crops. Rice is the most important crop in China, accounting for about 25% of the cultivated area. Most of the rice is grown south of the Huai River, in the Zhujiang Delta, as well as in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces.

Wheat is the second most common grain crop grown in most parts of the country, especially in the North China Plain and in the Wei and Feng Rivers in the Loess Plateau, as well as in Jiangsu, Hubei and Sichuan provinces. Corn and millet are grown in the north and northeast of China, and oats in Inner Mongolia and Tibet.

Other crops include sweet potatoes in the south, white potatoes in the north, and various other fruits and vegetables. Tropical fruits are grown in Hainan Island, apples and pears are grown in the northern regions of Liaoning and Shandong.

Oilseeds are important in Chinese agriculture as they replace edible and industrial oils and constitute a significant share of agricultural exports. In North and Northeast China, Chinese soybeans are grown, which are used in tofu and vegetable edible oil. China is also a leading producer of peanuts, which are grown in Shandong and Hebei provinces. Other grown oilseeds are sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, rapeseed and tung seeds.

Citrus fruits are the main commercial crops in southern China, and their production is scattered along and south of the Yangtze River Valley. Mandarins are the most popular citrus fruits in China, about twice as many as oranges.

Other important food crops for China include green and jasmine tea (popular with the Chinese population), black tea (for export), sugar cane, and sugar beets. Tea plantations are located on the slopes of the middle Yangtze Valley and in the Southeast Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. Sugar cane is grown in Guangdong and Sichuan, while sugar beets are grown in Heilongjiang and irrigated land in Inner Mongolia. The lotus is widely cultivated in southern China. Arabian coffee is grown in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

Fiber crops

China is the leader in cotton production, which is grown everywhere, but especially in the North China Plain, in the Yangtze River Delta, in the middle of the Yangtze Valley and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Other crops include ramie, flax, jute and hemp fibers. Sericulture and silkworm breeding practices are practiced in Central and South China.

Livestock

China has a large livestock population, with pigs and poultry being the most common. China's pig population and pork production are mainly located along the Yangtze River. In 2011, the number of pigs in Sichuan province was 51 million (11% of the total supply in China). In rural areas of western China, sheep, goats and camels are raised by shepherds.In Tibet, domesticated yaks are bred for food, fuel and shelter. Cattle, buffaloes, horses, mules and donkeys are also raised in China, and dairy farming has also recently been encouraged by the government, although approximately 92.3% of adults experience some level of lactose intolerance.

As the demand for delicacies grows, the production of exotic meat products increases. Based on data from a survey of 684 Chinese turtle farms (less than half of all 1,499 officially registered turtle farms in the survey year 2002), they sold more than 92,000 tonnes of turtle (about 128 million animals) per year; this is estimated to correspond to an industrial production of over 300 million turtles per year.

The increased income and demand of citizens for meat, especially pork, led to the demand for improved breeds of livestock, pedigree cattle, imported, in particular, from the United States. Some of these breeds are adapted to livestock farms.

Fishing

China accounts for about one third of the world's total fish production. Fishing and fish farming in ponds and lakes account for more than half of its production. The main fishing regions are located close to urban markets in the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River Valley and the Pearl Delta.

Production

In the first fifty years, the People's Republic of China significantly increased agricultural production through organizational and technological improvements.

Culture	volume production (tons)	volume production (tons)	volume of production (tons)
1.	Corn	113,180,000	304,770,000	508,390,000
2.	Cotton	444,000	2,167,000	3,831,000
3.	Oilseeds	2,564,000	5,218,000	26,012,000
4.	Sugar cane	2,642,000	21,116,000	74,700,000
5.	Sugar beet	191,000	2,702,000	8,640,000
6.	Fat tobacco	43,000	1,052,000	2,185,000
7.	Tea	41,000	268,000	676,000
8.	Fruits	1,200,000	6,570,000	62,376,000
9.	Meat	2,200,000	8,563,000	59,609,000
10.	Seafood	450,000	4,660,000	41,220,000

However, since 2000, the depletion of China's main aquifers has led to an overall decline in grain production, making China a net importer. The trend of China's dependence on food imports is expected to accelerate as water shortages intensify. Despite their potential, the desalination system finds few customers because it is still cheaper to continue using rivers, lakes and aquifers even if they are depleted.

As of 2011, China was the world's largest producer and consumer of agricultural products. However, researcher Lin Erda announced a possible projected decline from 14% to 23% by 2050 due to water scarcity and other impacts on climate change; China increased its share of the budget for agriculture by 20% in 2009, and also continues to support measures to improve energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and other efforts, including investments such as a 30% green component of the 586 billion financial stimulus package. dollars announced in November 2008.

Problems

Strawberry fields in

Yuxi

, Yunnan

Inefficiency of the agricultural market

Despite the explosive growth in production, the Chinese agricultural sector still faces a number of challenges. Farmers in several provinces such as Shandong, Zhejiang, Anhui, Liaoning and Xinjiang often face a period when it is very difficult to sell their agricultural products to customers due to a lack of information on current conditions.

There is a chain of intermediaries between the producing farmers in rural areas and the final consumer in the cities. Due to the lack of information between them, it is very difficult for farmers to predict the demand for different types of fruits and vegetables. In order to maximize their profits, they choose to produce those fruits and vegetables that, in the previous year, led to the highest incomes for farmers in the region.However, if most farmers do this, then it causes significant fluctuations in the supply of fresh products from year to year. With regard to scarce products, they may be produced in surplus in one year, then higher profits are expected next year. The result is an oversupply, which forces producers to cut prices and sell at a loss. So, scarce products can become profitable in one year and unprofitable in the next, and vice versa.

Economic efficiency is further impaired when agricultural products are transported from farms to real markets. According to the Department of Commerce, up to 25% of fruits and vegetables rot before they are sold, compared with about 5% in a typical developed country. If the middlemen cannot sell these rotten fruits, then they pay the farmers less than if they could sell most or even all of the fruits and vegetables. This lowers the income of farmers, although the problem is caused by post-production inefficiencies, which they are not aware of during price negotiations with middlemen.

These information and transport problems highlight the ineffectiveness of market mechanisms between farmers and end consumers, which prevent the former from taking advantage of the rapid development of the rest of the Chinese economy. As a result, small profits prevent them from investing in the necessary agricultural inputs (machinery, seeds, fertilizers, etc.) to increase productivity and improve their standard of living, from which the entire Chinese economy could benefit. This, in turn, increases the outflow of people from rural areas to cities that already face urbanization problems.

international trade

China is the world's largest importer of soybeans and other food crops and is expected to become the largest importer of agricultural products over the next decade. In 2017, farmers from their fishery in Donggaozhuang began selling yarn on an online marketplace owned by Alibaba. Many farmers later sold their land to focus on online sales, as access to global consumers brought in far more income than traditional farming.

Although agricultural production in China was quite capable of feeding the country for many years, in the following years China was forced to import grain. Due to a lack of available farmland and an abundance of labor, it may be necessary to import land crops (such as wheat and rice) to save China's small cropland from high-cost export products such as fruits, nuts or vegetables. However, in order to maintain an independent grain income and ensure food security, the Chinese government has adopted policies that stimulate grain production at the expense of more profitable crops. Despite tough restrictions on crop production, China's agricultural exports have increased significantly in recent years.

Government influence

One of the important motivations for the revitalization of international trade was China's inclusion in the World Trade Organization (WTO) on December 11, 2001, which led to the reduction or elimination of tariffs on most of China's agricultural exports. As a result of the opening of international markets to Chinese agriculture, by 2004 the value of China's agricultural exports exceeded US $ 17.3 billion. Since China's accession to the WTO, trade in agricultural products has not been liberalized to the same extent as trade in manufactured goods. Markets inside China are still relatively closed to foreign companies.Due to its large and growing population, it is assumed that if its agricultural markets were open, China would become a permanent net importer of food, possibly even destabilizing the global food market. The barriers imposed by the Chinese government on grain are not transparent as the state-owned grain trade in China is done through its Grain, Oil and Food Import and Export Corporation (COFCO).

food security

As a developing country, China has relatively low sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) for its agricultural products. Government corruption, such as the bribery of the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration Zheng Xiaoyu, also complicated regulatory difficulties in China Excessive pesticide residues, poor food hygiene, dangerous additives, contamination with heavy metals and other pollutants, and misuse veterinary drugs have led to trade restrictions with developed countries such as Japan, the United States and the European Union. These concerns have also led to public outrage, such as panic over dog food containing melamine and restrictions on imports of carcinogenic contaminants, which have led to measures such as the “no China” label. ...

According to the Ministry of the Environment of the People's Republic of China, about one tenth of China's agricultural land is contaminated with heavy metals.

Organic food

Suppliers

China has developed a Green Food program, which certifies products for low pesticide content. This division has been formulated into categories A and AA. This AA Green Food standard has been aligned with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) international standards for organic farming and is the basis for the rapid expansion of organic farming in China.

see also

• History of china
• Agricultural history
• Channel history in China
• Lettuce production in China
• China Green Food Development Center
• Maximum water level in China
• Wang Zhen (official)
• Franklin Hiram King
• Land use in the People's Republic of China
• Fishing in China
• Women in agriculture in China

Links

Quotes

• Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics... Taipei: Caves Books Co., Ltd.

Further reading

• Dragon and Elephant: Agricultural and Rural Reform in China and India edited by Ashok Gulati and Shenggen Fan (2007), Johns Hopkins University Press
• Hsu, cho-yun. Khan of Agriculture (Washington, US Press, 1980)
• FAO Official Statistics
• Farmers, Mao, and Discontent in the PRC: From the Great Leap Forward to the Present by Dongping Han, Monthly Review, November 2009
• First National Agricultural Census of China (1997) National Bureau of Statistics of the PRC
• Gale, Fred. (2013). The growth and evolution of China's agricultural support policies. Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service.
• Communiqué on Basic Data from the Second National Census of Agriculture of China (2006), no. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 National Bureau of Statistics of China. Copies on the Internet Archive.

Psychologists from China and America published the results of studies that compared the properties of the mentality of the inhabitants of the "wheat" and "rice" regions of the Celestial Empire. Scientists have concluded that the agro-cultural traditions of the population affect the mentality of the population and its ability for an analytical way of thinking and individualism. Scientists published their research results in Science.

Many people mistakenly believe that China is a unified cultural space. However, studies have shown that in the Celestial Empire there are two distinct groups of people - "southerners" and "northerners". And the “southern” mindset is shaped by centuries of rice cultivation traditions that make people more dependent on each other. Differences in thinking between East and West were formed in a similar way.
Scientists conducted several sociological surveys among several thousand students from different cities of the PRC, according to which assessments of the propensity of young people to individualism or collectivism were given and analytical abilities were analyzed.
The study revealed a clear division of China in terms of mentality into two territories - south and north, with a border along the Yangtze River. The northerners turned out to be more inclined towards individualism and analytical thinking. And the southerners showed a greater desire for collectivism.
The identified zones exactly repeat the wheat and rice growing zones in the ancient Chinese Empire and in the modern PRC. This is because rice cultivation requires the collective efforts of many people, and each new farmer increases the chances of a large harvest. But the cultivation of wheat does not require special collective work and allows the peasants of the north to manage the farm separately.
This theory also explains why China did not have an industrial breakthrough in the Middle Ages. As a result of wars and climate change, the administrative and political center of the empire was shifted to the south, and as a result, all technical innovations in the country came to naught.
As you can see, the current state of science and culture in modern times depends on the development of agriculture in antiquity. This is especially clearly manifested in agrarian China, because the traditions of agriculture in the country have many thousands of years of history. Below we will introduce readers to the three main agricultural crops in China.

1. Fig.

The cultivation of rice fields in the Celestial Empire has been practiced since ancient times. Numerous archaeological finds made in the territory of Zhejiang province have shown that rice was cultivated in China as early as 7 thousand years ago. And the first written mention of rice refers to the "Book of Songs", written in 7 centuries BC. Later, huge irrigation structures were built on the territory of southern China. Over the entire period of rice cultivation in the Celestial Empire, over 10 thousand varieties of this crop have been bred, many of which are still cultivated today. In total, over 40 thousand varieties and varieties of rice have been registered in China today. China ranks 2nd after India in terms of rice cultivation area, in terms of production - 1st. The main "rice" regions of China are located in the south of the country. Many popular dishes in China are made from rice. For example, mifeen rice noodles are very popular. Another popular product is rice vodka and yellow wine. In addition, rice is considered a medicinal product that is useful for digestion; baskets, mats, rice paper and colorful fans and umbrellas are made from rice straw.

2. Wheat.

Wheat is the second most important agricultural crop in China. In the Middle Kingdom, both spring and winter wheat are widespread. Winter climatic conditions are the main factor in the distribution of wheat varieties. The main sown area for wheat is located in the northern part of the country. And in Tibet, there are the highest mountain crops of spring wheat in the world - they grow at an altitude of more than 4 kilometers. Winter wheat is mainly grown in the Yellow River region, where the cold weather lasts more than 200 days a year. But in the Yangtze region, winter crops of wheat are extremely important, although they play a secondary role.

3. Tea.

It is impossible to imagine the culture of China without tea.Today, the PRC produces more than 700 thousand tons of tea, a third of which is exported. The area of ​​land occupied by tea plantations exceeds 1 million hectares. Over the centuries of growing tea, the Chinese have developed a huge number of varieties of this drink. According to the latest data, the number of varieties of Chinese tea has exceeded 8 thousand items. All these types of tea are divided into 5 types according to the production method, 2 types according to quality, 4 types according to leaf size and 200 types according to the place of cultivation. Modern tea production in the Middle Kingdom is controlled by the Chinese National Natural Products Corporation. Several dozen standard varieties of this drink are allowed for export under certain names. But most of the tea grown - 80%, is consumed by the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. The majority of exports are green and black teas, with a small amount of red teas. Each tea-producing province in China prides itself on its own assortment of farmed teas with an original name. Therefore, the names of one type of tea can sound differently in different parts of China. In addition, certain varieties of green teas have several old names. Therefore, only a specialist can understand the issue of classifying various Chinese teas.

Source of this material

It is customary in China to grow agricultural plants, and this is the main component of the country's crop production. Arable land occupies more than one hundred million hectares, although this figure is gradually decreasing. Developed irrigation systems make it possible to successfully develop agriculture in China. Already at the end of the last century, two crops were harvested annually on farms in the Yandza River basin. In most regions of the vast country, the same thing happens.

Why is China's agriculture so successful? It's all about the climate, landscape and soil diversity. Agroecosystems have adapted to different conditions. In the highlands and in Tibet, it is good to breed cattle and animals for work in the field. The wide northern fields are ideal for growing cereals and legumes that are exported around the world. Where there is not enough water (Shanxi, Gansu), drought-resistant crops are popular, the varieties of which are constantly being developed by agronomists. On the plains (Shandong, Hebei), you can safely get more than two harvests, the fertile soil easily feeds grain and oilseeds.

The Yangtze River area is recognized as the most efficient place for agriculture and animal husbandry. It is this place that annually gives most of the gross production volume. Sichuan Province, Guadong also has a climate suitable for active farming. Even citrus fruits and pineapples can grow in the subtropics. These products are mainly exported.

History of development

In the second half of the twentieth century, agriculture in China begins to actively develop. The loss of land for plowing began to be compensated by the fact that it was possible to harvest several crops a year from them. In 50 years, the yield of wheat has increased 5 times, corn - 4 times, and traditionally cultivated rice has increased its indicators three times.

In 1976, the use of nitrogen fertilizers began, which became available to the general population. They are still popular in China: 250 kg of fertilizer are used per hectare of crops. At the same time, the purchase of urea plants abroad begins. Gradually, the country became a giant in the field of chemical fertilizers for agriculture.

After privatization, the land was given to families and was cultivated on a family contract basis. The target figures were gradually lowered and the lease period increased.

Plant growing

As for the crops grown, here the Chinese are striving to bring field, vegetable and horticultural crops to the first positions, the variety of varieties of which reaches dozens of names.

The most common seed crop is rice.It can be cultivated in all areas of the vast area of ​​China, its provinces and regions. Sometimes the crop is harvested two or three times. Wheat is in second place; it is sown with winter and spring crops. It can also be grown throughout the country.

In addition to these crops, China's agriculture is engaged in the cultivation of corn, barley, and millet. A popular variety of sorghum is gaoliang. Among the oilseeds, the Chinese chose peanuts, which have taken root well on the eastern side. Legumes are widely represented by soybeans, peas and forage varieties. Soy is extremely popular with the Chinese, they have developed 1200 varieties of this crop. Sweet potatoes, yams and cassava are also bred.

Chinese agriculture is not complete without cotton, sugarcane and beets. A lot of tea is produced - the favorite drink of the country's population.

Livestock

In this area of ​​agriculture, China is not doing well. Meat and milk production accounts for only 20% of the total. Despite the fact that a lot of animals are raised (for example, almost half of the world's pig population), there is not enough production per capita.

Pig rearing is the dominant animal husbandry in China. Among all meat, the local population chooses pork in 9 out of 10 cases. Each peasant has a small subsidiary farm. However, more often than not, the Chinese raise livestock for work in the field. These are horses, donkeys, oxen.

Dairy products are produced on suburban farms. Goats and sheep are widespread in the farms of the northern regions of the country, their cultivation is aimed at providing China's light industry.

Unlike animals, birds are bred more readily. In personal household plots, chickens, geese, and turkeys are raised. The suburbs are provided with poultry meat.

Other agricultural sectors in China

Beekeeping and silkworm breeding are very widespread in China. Apiaries can be found in every corner of this large country, but most of all in the north and east. The second place in the world for the supply of beekeeping products went to China. Mulberry and oak silkworms are grown in the south and north, respectively. This is a traditional type of economy dating back more than 4 thousand years.

Fishing in China is very popular. Fish are farmed right in the rice fields, shrimps, algae and various shellfish are grown near the seas.

57. Agricultural regions of China

China is known as one of the world's major agricultural producers (Table 37). For geography, the study of this industry on the example of such a huge country as China is especially interesting from the standpoint of highlighting internal differences and agricultural zoning. Acquaintance with the relevant sources shows that such zoning can be more fractional and more generalized. In the second case, they usually allocate six agricultural areas.

The first region can be called mainly grain-growing. It covers almost the entire Northeast and geographically corresponds primarily to the vast Songliao (Manchurian) plain with fertile chernozem-like soils and forest-steppe landscapes. This is one of the main granaries of the country with crops of spring wheat and gaoliang - a variety of sorghum, which was known in China back in the 12th century. This region also includes a part of Northern China.

The second region has grain-growing-cotton-growing specialization. Its core is the Great Plain of China (North China Lowland). The ideally flat surface of this plain, formed by the sediments of the Yellow River and other rivers, which now flow above its level in bunded beds, is a typical anthropogenic agricultural landscape, almost completely cultivated.It is the country's main cultivation area for winter wheat and cotton, the second after the northeastern soybean cultivation area, which has been cultivated here for millennia. Agriculture on the Great Plain of China, with its subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by rather cold and dry winters, is carried out under artificial irrigation. Therefore, the waters of the Yellow River, Huai He, the Great Canal, which crosses the plain in the meridional direction, are widely used for this purpose. Its entire surface is literally dotted with large and small irrigation canals.

Rice. 104. Agricultural areas of China

In the west, the Great Plain of China is also adjoined by the Loess Plateau, which is part of this region, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River; the thickness of loess covers here reaches 600 m. Its area exceeds 600 thousand km2, and 80 million people live on this territory. The main grain crop here is also winter wheat, but there are also cotton crops. The spread of loesses and yellow soils led to the fact that this entire vast area was often called yellow China.

The third region has a distinct rice-growing specialization. It occupies mainly that part of East China, which is located in the Yangtze basin. Its northern border is usually drawn along the Qinling Ridge, which rises to an altitude of 4000 m and is an important climatic division, and further to the east along the river. Huaihe. Its southern border is formed by the Nanling Ridge, which separates the Yangtze and Xijiang basins. The climate in the region is subtropical, monsoon. Due to the prevalence of hilly terrain, the area of ​​plowed land here is generally not as large as in the North China Plain, but the land adjacent to the Yangtze Valley is almost completely plowed up.

The main area for irrigated rice cultivation is the alluvial lowlands along the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze. In various directions, they are plowed by canals that are used for navigation, irrigation, fishing and serve as reservoirs during flood waters. The real "rice bowls" are the basins of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake. South of the Yangtze, two rice crops are usually harvested per year. In addition to rice, wheat, cotton, various legumes and oilseeds are also cultivated here. And the famous tea plantations are located on the hillsides, mainly south of the Yangtze Valley.

A special role in the west of this region is played by the Sichuan province with its center in Chengdu. And not only because it is one of the largest provinces in China in terms of population. But also because it occupies a rather isolated Sichuan Basin fenced off by mountains, also called the Red Basin due to the spread of red earths. Hot, humid summers and warm winters ensure year-round vegetation of plants here. Almost all agricultural crops known in China are grown in Sichuan (this word in translation means "four-flux"), and it is no coincidence that the figurative name Tianfu zhi go - the Land of Heavenly Abundance - has long been assigned to it. The most notable feature of its cultural landscape is the artificial terraces that line the slopes of hills and mountains in narrow ribbons. This is one of the granaries of the country, where, with artificial irrigation, two or three crops of rice, wheat, and vegetables are harvested per year. Sugarcane, tea, tobacco, citrus fruits are also cultivated here. For the entire area of ​​the Yangtze and Sichuan Basin, the name green China was established.

The fourth region covers the tropical part of southern China, located south of the Nanling Ridge. This is an area of ​​a typical monsoon climate, distribution of yellow soils and red soils. For the pool r. Xijiang, the coast of the South China Sea and about. Hainan is characterized by landscapes of the humid tropics. The main grain crop here is rice, which gives two or even three harvests a year. The area also supplies a variety of tropical and subtropical fruits.The main industrial crop is sugar cane.

The fifth region specializes in pastoralism and covers the steppe, desert and semi-desert zone of Northwest China and Inner Mongolia. Agriculture is carried out here only in oases located in the Dzungar and Kashgar basins. This is the so-called dry China.

Finally, the sixth region specializes in distant-pasture cattle breeding, in which cattle graze in high-mountain pastures in summer and in valleys in winter. Geographically, it basically coincides with the world's most extensive Tibetan plateau, the surface of which is formed by high-mountainous, mainly rubble deserts and semi-deserts. It is no coincidence that this region is called High China or Cold China. The main food crop here is the local frost-resistant barley, Zinke. And the crops of spring wheat reach an altitude of 4000 m.

Recently, much attention has been paid in the PRC to forecasts of the possible consequences of global warming for the country's agriculture. According to the conducted climatic modeling, by 2030 the average annual temperatures will increase by 0.88 ° C compared to modern ones, by 2050 - by 1.4, and in 2100 - by 2.9 ° C. These climatic changes will have their own regional features. Benefit the most from warming

North-East, where the growing season and crop yields will increase. The amount of precipitation will increase slightly in the arid Northwest. The northern border of three harvests will move further north - from the Yangtze Valley to the Yellow River. But at the same time, in many regions of the country, the shortage of water resources will increase, which will only partially be compensated for by the melting of glaciers in Tibet, which feed many rivers.

China is known as one of the world's major agricultural producers (Table 37). For geography, the study of this industry on the example of such a huge country as China is especially interesting from the standpoint of highlighting internal differences and agricultural zoning. Acquaintance with the relevant sources shows that such zoning can be more fractional and more generalized. In the second case, they usually allocate six agricultural areas.

First district can be called mainly grain-growing. It covers almost the entire Northeast and geographically corresponds primarily to the vast Songliao (Manchurian) plain with fertile chernozem-like soils and forest-steppe landscapes. This is one of the main granaries of the country with crops of spring wheat and gaoliang - a variety of sorghum, which was known in China as far back as the 12th century. This region also includes a part of Northern China.

Second district has grain-growing-cotton-growing specialization. Its core is the Great Plain of China (North China Lowland). The ideally flat surface of this plain, formed by the sediments of the Yellow River and other rivers, which now flow above its level in bunded beds, is a typical anthropogenic agricultural landscape, almost completely cultivated. It is the country's main cultivation area for winter wheat and cotton, the second after the northeastern soybean cultivation area, which has been cultivated here for millennia. Agriculture on the Great Plain of China, with its subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by rather cold and dry winters, is carried out under artificial irrigation. Therefore, the waters of the Yellow River, Huai He, the Great Canal, which crosses the plain in the meridional direction, are widely used for this purpose. Its entire surface is literally dotted with large and small irrigation canals.

Rice. 104. Agricultural areas of China

In the west, the Great Plain of China is also adjoined by the Loess Plateau, which is part of this region, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River; the thickness of the loess covers here reaches 600 m.Its area exceeds 600 thousand km2, and 80 million people live on this territory. The main grain crop here is also winter wheat, but there are also cotton crops. The spread of loesses and yellow soils led to the fact that this entire vast area was often called yellow China.

Third district has a distinct rice-growing specialization. It occupies mainly that part of East China, which is located in the Yangtze basin. Its northern border is usually drawn along the Qinling Ridge, which rises to an altitude of 4000 m and is an important climatic division, and further to the east along the river. Huaihe. Its southern border is formed by the Nanling Ridge, which separates the Yangtze and Xijiang basins. The climate in the region is subtropical, monsoon. Due to the prevalence of hilly terrain, the area of ​​plowed land here is generally not as large as in the North China Plain, but the land adjacent to the Yangtze Valley is almost completely plowed up.

The main area for irrigated rice cultivation is the alluvial lowlands along the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze. In various directions, they are plowed by canals that are used for shipping, irrigation, fishing and serve as reservoirs during flood waters. The real "rice bowls" are the basins of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake. South of the Yangtze, two rice crops are usually harvested per year. In addition to rice, wheat, cotton, various legumes and oilseeds are also cultivated here. And the famous tea plantations are located on the hillsides, mainly south of the Yangtze Valley.

A special role in the west of this region is played by the Sichuan province with its center in Chengdu. And not only because it is one of the largest provinces in China in terms of population. But also because it occupies a rather isolated Sichuan Basin fenced off by mountains, also called the Red Basin due to the spread of red earths. Hot, humid summers and warm winters ensure year-round vegetation of plants here. Almost all agricultural crops known in China are grown in Sichuan (this word in translation means "four-flux"), and it is no coincidence that the figurative name Tianfu zhi go - the Land of Heavenly Abundance - has long been assigned to it. The most notable feature of its cultural landscape is the artificial terraces that line the slopes of hills and mountains in narrow ribbons. This is one of the country's granaries, where two or three crops of rice, wheat and vegetables are harvested per year under artificial irrigation. Sugarcane, tea, tobacco, citrus fruits are also cultivated here. The whole area of ​​the Yangtze and Sichuan Basin has a name green China.

Fourth district covers the tropical part of southern China, located south of the Nanling Ridge. This is an area of ​​a typical monsoon climate, distribution of yellow soils and red soils. For the pool r. Xijiang, the coast of the South China Sea and about. Hainan is characterized by landscapes of the humid tropics. The main grain crop here is rice, which gives two or even three harvests a year. The area also supplies a variety of tropical and subtropical fruits. The main industrial crop is sugar cane.

Fifth district specializes in pastoralism and covers the area of ​​steppes, deserts and semi-deserts of Northwest China and Inner Mongolia. Agriculture is carried out here only in oases located in the Dzhungar and Kashgar basins. This is the so-called dry China.

Finally, sixth district specializes in distant pasture farming, in which cattle graze in high-mountain pastures in summer and in valleys in winter. Geographically, it basically coincides with the world's most extensive Tibetan plateau, the surface of which is formed by high-mountainous, mainly rubble deserts and semi-deserts. It is no coincidence that this area is called high China or cold China. The main food crop here is the local frost-resistant barley, Zinke.And the crops of spring wheat reach an altitude of 4000 m.

Recently, much attention has been paid in the PRC to forecasts of the possible consequences of global warming for the country's agriculture. According to the conducted climatic modeling, by 2030 the average annual temperatures will increase by 0.88 ° C compared to modern ones, by 2050 - by 1.4, and in 2100 - by 2.9 ° C. These climatic changes will have their own regional features. Benefit the most from warming

North-East, where the growing season and crop yields will increase. The amount of precipitation will increase slightly in the arid Northwest. The northern border of three harvests will move further north - from the Yangtze Valley to the Yellow River. But at the same time, in many regions of the country, the shortage of water resources will increase, which will only partially be compensated for by the melting of glaciers in Tibet, which feed many rivers.

It is customary in China to grow agricultural plants, and this is the main component of the country's crop production. Arable land occupies more than one hundred million hectares, although this figure is gradually decreasing. Developed irrigation systems make it possible to successfully develop agriculture in China. Already at the end of the last century, two crops were harvested annually on farms in the Yandza River basin. In most regions of the vast country, the same thing happens.

Why is China's agriculture so successful? It's all about the climate, landscape and soil diversity. Agroecosystems have adapted to different conditions. In the highlands and in Tibet, it is good to breed cattle and animals for work in the field. The wide northern fields are ideal for growing cereals and legumes that are exported around the world. Where there is not enough water (Shanxi, Gansu), drought-resistant crops are popular, the varieties of which are constantly being developed by agronomists. On the plains (Shandong, Hebei), you can safely get more than two harvests, the fertile soil easily feeds grain and oilseeds.

The Yangtze River area is recognized as the most efficient place for agriculture and animal husbandry. It is this place that annually gives most of the gross production volume. Sichuan Province, Guadong also has a climate suitable for active farming. Even citrus fruits and pineapples can grow in the subtropics. These products are mainly exported.

History of development

In the second half of the twentieth century, agriculture in China begins to actively develop. The loss of land for plowing began to be compensated for by the fact that it was possible to harvest several crops a year from them. In 50 years, the yield of wheat has increased 5 times, corn - 4 times, and traditionally cultivated rice has increased its indicators three times.

In 1976, the use of nitrogen fertilizers began, which became available to the general population. They are still popular in China: 250 kg of fertilizer are used per hectare of crops. At the same time, the purchase of urea plants abroad begins. Gradually, the country became a giant in the field of chemical fertilizers for agriculture.

After privatization, the land was given to families and began to be cultivated on a family contract basis. The target figures were gradually lowered and the lease period increased.

Plant growing

As for the crops grown, here the Chinese are striving to bring field, vegetable and horticultural crops to the first positions, the variety of varieties of which reaches dozens of names.

The most common seed crop is rice. It can be cultivated in all areas of the vast area of ​​China, its provinces and regions. Sometimes the crop is harvested two or three times. Wheat is in second place; it is sown with winter and spring crops. It can also be grown throughout the country.

In addition to these crops, China's agriculture is engaged in the cultivation of corn, barley, and millet. A popular variety of sorghum is gaoliang.Among the oilseeds, the Chinese chose peanuts, which have taken root well on the eastern side. Legumes are widely represented by soybeans, peas and forage varieties. Soy is extremely popular with the Chinese, they have developed 1200 varieties of this crop. Sweet potatoes, yams and cassava are also bred.

Chinese agriculture is not complete without cotton, sugarcane and beets. A lot of tea is produced - the favorite drink of the country's population.

Livestock

In this area of ​​agriculture, China is not doing well. Meat and milk production accounts for only 20% of the total. Despite the fact that a lot of animals are raised (for example, almost half of the world's pig population), there is not enough production per capita.

Pig rearing is the dominant animal husbandry in China. Among all meat, the local population chooses pork in 9 out of 10 cases. Each peasant has a small subsidiary farm. However, more often than not, the Chinese raise livestock for work in the field. These are horses, donkeys, oxen.

Dairy products are produced on suburban farms. Goats and sheep are common in the farms of the northern regions of the country, their cultivation is aimed at providing China's light industry.

Unlike animals, birds are bred more readily. In personal household plots, chickens, geese, and turkeys are raised. The suburbs are provided with poultry meat.

Other agricultural sectors in China

Beekeeping and silkworm breeding are very widespread in China. Apiaries can be found in every corner of this large country, but most of all in the north and east. The second place in the world for the supply of beekeeping products went to China. Mulberry and oak silkworms are grown in the south and north, respectively. This is a traditional type of economy dating back more than 4 thousand years.

Fishing in China is very popular. Fish are farmed right in the rice fields, shrimps, algae and various shellfish are grown near the seas.

Psychologists from China and America published the results of studies that compared the properties of the mentality of the inhabitants of the "wheat" and "rice" regions of the Celestial Empire. Scientists have concluded that the agro-cultural traditions of the population affect the mentality of the population and its ability for an analytical way of thinking and individualism. Scientists published their research results in Science.

Many people mistakenly believe that China is a unified cultural space. However, studies have shown that in the Celestial Empire there are two distinct groups of people - "southerners" and "northerners". And the “southern” mindset is shaped by centuries of rice cultivation traditions that make people more dependent on each other. Differences in thinking between East and West were formed in a similar way.
Scientists conducted several sociological surveys among several thousand students from different cities of the PRC, according to which assessments of the propensity of young people to individualism or collectivism were given and analytical abilities were analyzed.
The study revealed a clear division of China in terms of mentality into two territories - south and north, with a border along the Yangtze River. The northerners turned out to be more inclined towards individualism and analytical thinking. And the southerners showed a greater desire for collectivism.
The identified zones exactly repeat the wheat and rice growing zones in the ancient Chinese Empire and in the modern PRC. This is because rice cultivation requires the collective efforts of many people, and each new farmer increases the chances of a large harvest. But the cultivation of wheat does not require special collective work and allows the peasants of the north to manage the farm separately.
This theory also explains why China did not have an industrial breakthrough in the Middle Ages.As a result of wars and climate change, the administrative and political center of the empire was shifted to the south, and as a result, all technical innovations in the country came to naught.
As you can see, the current state of science and culture in modern times depends on the development of agriculture in antiquity. This is especially clearly manifested in agrarian China, because the traditions of agriculture in the country have many thousands of years of history. Below we will introduce readers to the three main crops in China.

1. Fig.

The cultivation of rice fields in the Celestial Empire has been practiced since ancient times. Numerous archaeological finds made in the territory of Zhejiang province have shown that rice was cultivated in China as early as 7 thousand years ago. And the first written mention of rice refers to the "Book of Songs", written in 7 centuries BC. Later, huge irrigation structures were built on the territory of southern China. Over the entire period of rice cultivation in the Celestial Empire, more than 10 thousand varieties of this crop have been bred, many of which are still cultivated today. In total, over 40 thousand varieties and varieties of rice have been registered in China today. China ranks 2nd after India in terms of rice cultivation area, in terms of production - 1st. The main "rice" regions of China are located in the south of the country. Many popular dishes in China are made from rice. For example, mifeen rice noodles are very popular. Another popular product is rice vodka and yellow wine. In addition, rice is considered a medicinal product that is useful for digestion; baskets, mats, rice paper and colorful fans and umbrellas are made from rice straw.

2. Wheat.

Wheat is the second most important agricultural crop in China. In the Middle Kingdom, both spring and winter wheat are widespread. Winter climatic conditions are the main factor in the distribution of wheat varieties. The main sown area for wheat is located in the northern part of the country. And in Tibet, there are the highest mountain crops of spring wheat in the world - they grow at an altitude of more than 4 kilometers. Winter wheat is mainly grown in the Yellow River region, where cold weather lasts more than 200 days a year. But in the Yangtze region, winter crops of wheat are extremely important, although they play a secondary role.

3. Tea.

It is impossible to imagine the culture of China without tea. Today, the PRC produces more than 700 thousand tons of tea, a third of which is exported. The area of ​​land occupied by tea plantations exceeds 1 million hectares. Over the centuries of growing tea, the Chinese have developed a huge number of varieties of this drink. According to the latest data, the number of varieties of Chinese tea has exceeded 8 thousand items. All these types of tea are divided into 5 types according to the production method, 2 types according to quality, 4 types according to leaf size and 200 types according to the place of cultivation. Modern tea production in the Middle Kingdom is controlled by the Chinese National Corporation of Natural Products. Several dozen standard varieties of this drink are allowed for export under certain names. But most of the tea grown - 80%, is consumed by the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. The majority of exports are green and black teas, with a small amount of red teas. Each tea-producing province in China prides itself on its own assortment of farmed teas with an original name. Therefore, the names of one type of tea can sound differently in different parts of China. In addition, certain varieties of green teas have several old names. Therefore, only a specialist can understand the issue of classifying various Chinese teas.

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