ABSTRACT
The Chinese rice economy is an integral part of the total Asian rice economy, not only from the viewpoint of internal production and consumption, but also externally as an importer in the pre-war period and as a major world exporter of rice in the post-war period. Unfortunately, between 1900 and the late 1970s, systematic statistical measurement of output and growth in the Chinese agricultural economy has been intermittent at best. Basic published data, when available, were limited to national estimates and have, at times, been obviously inflated under the influence of the prevailing political climates. Because of China's activities on the world grain market and its importance in global politics, Western and Soviet "China Watchers" have invested considerable time and effort in the preparation of estimates using published Chinese estimates and interpolation. However, the majority of these estimates have been mere exercises in the manipulation of a few shaky data points in an attempt to create complete, year-by-year series.
