Tuntian

The Tuntian or Duntian system (屯田制) was a system of government-encouraged agriculture originated in the Western Han, it was also practiced by the warlord Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms Period.

Background

While the tuntian system was made famous by Cao Cao's administration, his own writings show that the system had been instituted as early as the Western Han Dynasty, under the rule of Emperor Wu, where soldiers on distant expeditions were set to work converting and farming the conquered land, both to provide food for the army and to convert the region into one based around agriculture - in effect, an economic conquest. After the death of Emperor Wu, however, the system was only used sporadically and therefore less effectively.

The ending years of the Eastern Han Dynasty witnessed great economic disruption and widespread devastation, particularly through the Yellow Turban Revolt of 184 AD; agricultural production in particular was severely disrupted, and population movements from warzones led to massive flows of refugees. It was under these circumstances that Cao Cao's usage of the tuntian system made its impact on the economic revival of China after the damage suffered previously.

Method

The mechanism of the tuntian system had its basis in government organisation, encouragement and to some extent even coercion. Peasants without land, or refugees, or soldiers, were assigned to plots of land which they were to farm, while the implements required (like ploughs and even oxen) were provided by the government at a low price. In exchange for this, the peasant was to give over half of his harvest to the government.

Tuntian had its origins in the military, and for much of the Han Dynasty the land in question was farmed by soldiers on orders of the military authorities; in this case all of the crop harvested was to be kept by the military for supply uses. Cao Cao's innovation was the introduction of the 'civilian tuntian', whereby he successfully solved two great economic problems facing his administration: the large number of unemployed refugees, and the great tracts of land abandoned in the preceding chaos.

Impact

The tuntian system was to have far-reaching effects, both for Cao Cao himself and for the overall economy of China. Once the scheme had proven successful initially, Cao wasted no time in extending the scheme to all areas under his control; as a result the positive effects of this organised farming was soon felt all over northern China, which he reunified.

In the short-term, meanwhile, the tuntian system was also instrumental to the success of Cao Cao's campaigns, many of which were long-range offensives across the plains of northern China; with a massive and efficient agriculture to support his army, he was able to sustain these offensives and gain victory. Overall it can be said that the tuntian system, along with the repair of irrigation works, were amongst the foremost contributions of Cao Cao to the period's economy, and contributed to the enduring strength of the Kingdom of Wei which his son would found.