9. The Social-Ecological Resilience and the Coordination of Historical Climate and Social and Economic Changes in China

The Veritable Records of the Qing Dynasty, 1744-1-14: The number of refugees this year is only 3000-4000, which is much lower than the tens of thousands in the second and third years of Yongzheng. [ “今年流民亦只三四千之数, 较之雍正二三年数至盈万者, 尚为减少” (1744-1-14).]

“Since last year (the first year of Chongzhen, i.e., 1628 CE), there has been no rain in Yan'an Prefecture and all the vegetation has withered. In September and August, people pick grass from the mountains to eat. Its seeds taste bitter, which like furs and it can only guarantee basic needs of life. After October, the grass was eaten out. So people stripped the bark of the trees and ate it. By the end of the year the bark was eaten out. Then people dig the mountain stone and ate it. The stone taste cold and fishy, people who eat only a little will be full. In a few days, they will suffer from abdominal distension and fall to death. And those who are unwilling to eat stones and die gathered together and became bandits.” (the second year in April in Chongzhen, Ma Maocai: Bei Chen Da Ji, Ming Ji Bei Lue, volume 5) [“臣乡延安府, 自去岁 (崇祯元年) 一年无雨, 草木枯焦。九八月间, 民争采山间蓬草而食, 其粒类糠皮, 其味苦而涩, 食之仅可延以不死。至十月以后, 而蓬尽矣!则剥树皮而食, 诸树惟榆皮差善, 杂他树皮以为食, 亦可稍缓其死。迨年终而树皮又尽矣!则又掘其山中石块而食, 石性冷而味腥, 少食辄饱, 不数日则腹胀下坠而死。民有不甘于食石而死者, 始相聚为盗。” (崇祯二年四月, 行人马懋才《备陈大饥》, 《明季北略》卷五)].

“Most of the original rebels who came to Shanxi Province were from Shaanxi Province and now half of them are from Shanxi. In February and March a tenth of Shanxi's population joined the rebels, in June and July three in ten joined the rebels, and by this winter five to six in ten people in Shanxi had joined the rebels” (the third year of Chongzhen (i.e., 1630 CE), Wang Chenzhi: Chun Xu Liang Ming Yi Ji Liu Kou Yi) [“始之寇晋者, 秦人也; 今寇晋者, 半晋人矣。二三月间, 从贼者十之一, 六七月而从贼者十之三, 至今冬而从贼者十之五六矣。” (崇祯三年, 王臣直: 《存恤良民以辑流寇议》)].

Lu Xiangsheng: To Mr. Jiang Zelei [卢象升《与蒋泽垒先生》].

Zheng Lian: The Records of Henan's Change: Whenever hungry people in the neighborhood saw the rebel flag, they rushed to join them, so the rebel army grew rapidly. Since then, the rebels have been able to overcome the enemy easily. The Ming generals all flee when seeing their flag and even those who were dignified and unwilling to escape were only sacrificed under the rebels. [郑廉《豫变纪略》卷三: “远近饥民荷旗而往应之者如流水, 日夜不绝。一呼百万, 而其势燎原不可扑。自是而后, 所过无坚城, 所遇无劲敌, 诸将皆望风走。即秉钺者以名节自许, 不过以身予敌而已矣。”].