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SONG CHINA'S WATER TRANSPORT REVISITED: A STUDY OF THE 1077 COMMERCIAL TAX DATA
Author(s) -
LIU GUANGLIN WILLIAM
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
pacific economic review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.34
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1468-0106
pISSN - 1361-374X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0106.2011.00571.x
Subject(s) - china , water transport , economics , government (linguistics) , economy , business , international economics , geography , engineering , environmental engineering , linguistics , philosophy , archaeology , water flow
This paper provides an overall assessment of water transport in Song China based on the 1077 commercial tax data. The analysis demonstrates that the extension of waterway networks, especially the major waterways that linked the north and the south, greatly reduced transportation costs. Development of 11th century water transportation was due to two reasons: the emergence of a national market during the Tang–Song transition and the massive construction of canals by the government.