The Implementation and Achievements of the Kaizhong System in Sichuan During the Ming Dynasty
The Kaizhong System in Sichuan during the Ming Dynasty began in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign(1371),extending along the line from Songpan to Jianchang.The Ministry of Revenue has decided to implement and suspend the Kaizhong System policy based on the urgency of the military situation.After the Jingtai period,the places where grain was collected were concentrated in Songpan,specifically selling Sichuan salt.Merchants would purchase grain in Chengdu,transport it to frontier warehouses,and in return,receive salt from the Salt Administration,yielding a profit of over 100%.Merchants paid the same value of grain based on the pricing of salt,with an annual salt-grain of approximately 191.52 kilograms,accounting for about one-third of the military expenses required in Songpan.The Kaizhong System encouraged merchants to transport grain,reduced the burden of transportation for the people and alleviated the problem of food shortage.However,the value of grain provided by merchants was less than that of silver,leading to limited profits for the government.Consequently,after the first year of the Zhengde reign,Sichuan discontinued the salt-grain method.The Ministry of Revenue converted Sichuan's salt taxes entirely to silver collection,with merchants paying the salt tax on behalf of the salt producers,who would then repay the merchants in salt.The total silver tax collected amounted to over 70,000 taels,forming the annual revenue for the Sichuan Salt Administration in the late Ming period.
Sichuanthe Kaizhong Systemsalt tax converted into silverexchange ratio of salt and grainmilitary spending at the border
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