The tribute grain system of the Qing period was vital to the dynasty because it not only supplied the emperor and the imperial family in Beijing with the necessary foodstuffs, but it also was paid as a form of salary to troops and officials in the capital. The aim of this complex system was to maintain the smooth running and safety of the Grand Canal and to enable the continuous flow of food to the capital....[ Read more ]

The tribute grain system of the Qing period was vital to the dynasty because it not only supplied the emperor and the imperial family in Beijing with the necessary foodstuffs, but it also was paid as a form of salary to troops and officials in the capital. The aim of this complex system was to maintain the smooth running and safety of the Grand Canal and to enable the continuous flow of food to the capital.

The effectiveness and efficiency of the tribute grain system was ruined by the corruption among the officials in canal management, the over-taxation (fu-shou) by district magistrates and the extortion during the long distance shipment. Other factors like the shifting of the Hwang-ho and the destructive effect of the Taiping Revolution also acted as the catalyst to this transformation. As a result, the traditional canal transport gave way to sea-borne transport. In the thesis I shall devote my attention to the different reasons causing the initial and later stages of the sea-borne shipments, which were separated by almost 20 years.

The new transport institution, which differed from the canal system run by the government, was governed by the Sea Transport Bureau which was a combination of local government officials and merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The new system limited the chances for fu-shou and had a higher efficiency than the canal system in terms of its speed and reduction of wastage during shipment. The Qing government did not have to bear the burden of payment for transport costs by sea. Rather, the funds of the sea-borne transport system were derived from the former subsidies of the paralyzed canal system. Thus, the sea-borne transport system played a significant role in the fiscal system of the late Qing period.