Gavin (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} selfishgene) wrote,@ 2008-02-15 13:52:00 |
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Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China refers to 2 barriers set up by the government of China. The original is the famous construction along the northern border. The new one is the Internet firewall created to censor information. The traditional view of the old wall is that it was to defend the Chinese people against the marauding hordes of nomads north of the farming areas. While reading a history of China (not yet finished) I noticed 2 references to trade between the Chinese people and the nomadic tribes. It makes a lot of sense that farmers and nomads would trade with each other. Each can produce items which are useful to the other. For example nomads can produce horses and hides, farmers can produce bread and pottery. Along a vast frontier it would be very difficult for a central government to tax this trade activity. The solution is a vast wall to act as a customs barrier. All trade between nomads and farmers would be forced to pass through a limited number of gates controlled by the government. This allows the trade to be heavily taxed. Furthermore any military cooperation against the central government can be controlled.
It seems plausible that the old great wall is like the new great wall. It is intended only to benefit the government. The supposed benefit to the people is pure propaganda. I've never heard this theory of a customs barrier before. I am not aware of any historical evidence for it except the points mentioned above. Has anyone heard of this idea before? Maybe it is a well known idea amongst serious China scholars, but not known to the general public.
The Great Wall of China refers to 2 barriers set up by the government of China. The original is the famous construction along the northern border. The new one is the Internet firewall created to censor information. The traditional view of the old wall is that it was to defend the Chinese people against the marauding hordes of nomads north of the farming areas. While reading a history of China (not yet finished) I noticed 2 references to trade between the Chinese people and the nomadic tribes. It makes a lot of sense that farmers and nomads would trade with each other. Each can produce items which are useful to the other. For example nomads can produce horses and hides, farmers can produce bread and pottery. Along a vast frontier it would be very difficult for a central government to tax this trade activity. The solution is a vast wall to act as a customs barrier. All trade between nomads and farmers would be forced to pass through a limited number of gates controlled by the government. This allows the trade to be heavily taxed. Furthermore any military cooperation against the central government can be controlled.
It seems plausible that the old great wall is like the new great wall. It is intended only to benefit the government. The supposed benefit to the people is pure propaganda. I've never heard this theory of a customs barrier before. I am not aware of any historical evidence for it except the points mentioned above. Has anyone heard of this idea before? Maybe it is a well known idea amongst serious China scholars, but not known to the general public.
