International Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Studies - Essay Example The aforementioned was accomplished through various practices such as increase in cultivated areas, land productivity, and input per capita labor. Agriculture was the main economic activity in the region with Chinese people adopting the use traditional fertilizers, variety of crops, irrigation, and multiple cropping in order to increase production. Heavy yields experienced in these farms had an imperative role in the country’s GDP. Some of the popular crops grown in the region included maize, potatoes, peanuts, tobacco, and sugar cane among others (Das, 2006). Apart from farming, many Chinese households practiced other labor-intensive economic practices such as raising fish ponds, and utilization of grass and biomass to produce fuel. Therefore, rural households mainly focused on industrial activities while activities such as weaving, making garments, and textile spinning formed part of household activities. According to research, over a quarter of China’s GDP was derived from trade, construction, transport, traditional handicrafts, and housing. On the other hand, mass production of cash crops such as sugar, tobacco, tea, and cotton had a significant effect on the rise of China’s GDP. Therefore, the increase in China’s GDP exhibited before 1820 was attributed to agricultural activities within the region that resulted into creation of employment, increase in income and wealth, and economic growth (Angus, 2007). On the other hand, some research studies associate the increase in GDP with the documentation and planned Chinese technology on Chinese science and civilization on Needham’s magnum opus. However, the aforementioned ideology does not analyze the economic effect of invention and agricultural development. One of the major contributors in the improvement of Chinese GDP was increased land productivity that resulted into advanced living standards as income and wealth increased, proportionally. The