The+Han+-+Iron+plow

Premise:
Without certain developments of ancient China, specific parts of modern Chinese society would not exist

A development of ancient China:
The moldboard plow used an iron tip and an iron board to push aside the dirt. The smaller iron tip made it easier for the second, larger board to dig into the earth.The following is an ancient Egyptian wooden plow:

Developments in working with iron allowed the the plow to be made during the Han dynasty. The iron material was also more durable than other plows made of wood. The following is an example of a iron moldboard plow from Han China:



This development was special because plowing was more efficient: The animal did not have to work as hard and the work could also be done faster.

A hypothesis on the connections to modern Chinese society:

 * If the cost (time and resources needed to support an activity) is lowered, then that activity becomes lower in cost
 * If food becomes lower in cost and can be produced cheaply, then more people can buy it.
 * If more people can buy food then you should get a population increase

Examining evidence to support/refute this hypothesis:
How do we know that the population increased at the same time as the iron moldboard plow?

Because the iron moldboard plow was developed during the Han dynasty (202BCE-220CE), then we should try to find population information from that time:



There is no significant increase in population as a result of developments from the Han dynasty.

Conclusion:
That the development of the iron moldboard plow did not have a significant impact on the size of the population of modern China

Written by:
Hubert Wong

Works Cited:
Asia for Educators. (2009). Issues and trends in China's demographic history. Retrieved from: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1950_population.htm

No author. (n.d.). Ancient China's technology: The science and technology ancient China taught the west. Retrieved from: http://east_west_dialogue.tripod.com/id1.html

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved Nov 2, 2011 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plough

• The moldboard plow used an iron tip and an iron board to push aside the dirt • As a result, plowing was more efficient (either using less time, fewer resources, or both) • The moldboard plow used an iron tip and an iron board to push aside the dirt • As a result, plowing was more efficient (either using less time, fewer resources, or both)

Without certain developments of ancient China, specific parts of modern Chinese society would not exist Without certain developments of ancient China, specific parts of modern Chinese society would not exist