ABSTRACT
Making land available to peasants, encouraging migration to open up more land and managing water were part of a policy which aimed to restore the agriculture-based economy. Kangxi sometimes abolished taxation ad hoc depending on the situation. At times of natural disaster, this was most important as it relieved peasants of their usual levy and helped them recover. The situation changed after the 1780s as maize and foreign yam were cultivated by nearly all rural households. These crops are easy to grow and can be cultivated everywhere, especially in hilly and poor lands; they neither take the best land, nor need much care or labor. The result of prolonged peace and stability is clear to see as it put pressure on food supply. Historians have labeled cotton cash cropping China's "capitalist sprouts" and have used it as evidence for China's early industrialization.
