Economic History of Premodern China

Kent Deng

Economic History

Article

China has the longest continually recorded history in the premodern world. For economic historians, it makes sense to begin with the formation of China's national economy in the wake of China's unification in 221 BC under the Qin. The year 1800 AD coincides with the beginning of the end for China's premodern era, which was hastened by the First Opium War (1839-42). Hence, the time span of this article is two millennia.