At the Third National Congress of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, there was no complete population in China, so there was no demographic data. The imperial genealogy of Huangfu Mi in the Western Jin Dynasty estimated that the population of Xia Dynasty was 654.38+03.55 million, that of the early Western Zhou Dynasty was 654.38+037.18.4 million, and that of the early Eastern Zhou Dynasty was 654.38+065.438+084 million, which was totally incredible. According to the General History of Population in China, the population in the early Western Zhou Dynasty did not exceed 5.5 million, and it reached about 6.5438+million in the late Western Zhou Dynasty.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the population of China began to grow rapidly, mainly because of the appearance of Niu Geng, which greatly improved the efficiency of agricultural production and increased the population capacity of the society. In order to increase soldiers and food, the state also strongly encourages farming, which accelerates agricultural development and promotes population growth.

According to estimates, the peak population during the Warring States period was 26 million. Specifically, there are about 5 million Wan Chu, 4 million Qin, 4 million Qi, 3.5 million Zhao, 3.5 million Wei, 2 million Yan, 6.5438+0.5 million Han, 6.5438+0.0000 Song and 6.5438+0.0000 Yue. If you count the surrounding ethnic minorities, it is estimated that there are 30 million. During the Qin Dynasty's unified war, the population declined. After the reunification of the Qin Dynasty, the corvee was greatly improved and the population was difficult to increase. According to the forecast of the number of corvees in the Qin Dynasty, the population of the Qin Dynasty was about 20 million.

The population in the early Western Han Dynasty was about150,000 to180,000. In the early Han Dynasty, the country adopted the policy of recuperation, and "the rule of culture and scenery" appeared, and the population growth rate quickly reached 10%- 12%. In the last years of Emperor Wendi, "the people were close to the Warring States", about 26 million; At the end of Han Jing, it reached 30 million; By the beginning of the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it had reached 36 million. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, due to the aggravation of tax corvee, it was reduced to 32 million, which was recorded in the history books as "halving the household registration". During the reign of Zhao Xuan, people began to rest again, and the population began to increase again, reaching 50 million in Xuan Di. During the period of Yuan Di, social contradictions became acute, and the population growth was slow, reaching the peak of 59 million. If you count ethnic minorities, it will not be less than 65 million. Geographically, the highest in the northern part of the Western Han Dynasty was 42 million, five times that of the southern part.

At the turn of the Han Dynasty, due to Wang Mang's autocratic power, the Red Eyebrow Uprising and the Greenwood Uprising, the population began to decline. In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the national population was about 22 million. After that, the Eastern Han Dynasty rested and the population began to recover. In the era of Ming Di, "the world is peaceful and the people are rich". Since then, social contradictions have been sharp, and the population growth has been slow, reaching 53 million in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and more than 56 million in the period of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty. Ge speculated that the population in the early Eastern Han Dynasty was 30 million, and the peak value should exceed 60 million. The general population history of China thinks that there may be 72 million people, including ethnic minorities. In terms of distribution, the population in the north is 40 million and the population in the south is 20 million.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow turban insurrectionary greatly reduced the population in the north. The population records of the three countries are too few to be trusted. Ge estimated that the population of the Three Kingdoms was 22 million at the beginning and 37 million at the peak. After the unification of the Western Jin Dynasty, the economy initially recovered and the population increased to 35 million.

After the Yongjia Rebellion, the righteous officer went south. In the early Eastern Jin Dynasty, the population in the south was about 6.5438+million, and it increased to more than 6.5438+0.7 million in the later period. In the early Southern Dynasties, the population was between 6.5438+0.8 million and 20 million. Later, the area of Chen State was reduced, and the population was only160,000. After the demise of the Western Jin Dynasty, the north fell into sixteen countries with a population of about180,000. After the reunification of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the population returned to 35 million. Therefore, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the total population of the country should be above 50 million. The Sui Dynasty unified the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with a population peak of 56 million to 58 million and surrounding ethnic minority areas exceeding 60 million.

At the end of Sui Dynasty, the population decreased again on a large scale. Ge speculated that the valley value of the population at the end of Sui Dynasty was only over 25 million. After the reunification of the Tang Dynasty, "the rule of Zhenguan", "the legacy of Zhenguan" and "the prosperity of Kaiyuan" appeared, the economy continued to recover and the population grew rapidly. It reached its peak in the Kaiyuan period, about 80 million to 90 million, and finally broke the record of 60 million created by the Han Dynasty. After the Anshi Rebellion, the population of the north lost half, and the total population of the country was only 46 million. In the late Tang Dynasty, the overall population growth was slow, reaching about 60 million in 845. In the Tang Dynasty, the population of the south should be between 20 million and 30 million, and that of the north should be between 30 million and 40 million.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao and others revolted, and the population was greatly reduced. At the end of the Five Dynasties, the national population was about 30 million. After the reunification of the Northern Song Dynasty, industry and commerce flourished and the population began to grow rapidly. Ge speculated that the population of the Northern Song Dynasty exceeded 1 100 million. The population in the Southern Song Dynasty was about 60 million. In addition, the population of Liao country is about 4 million, and that of Jin country is 53 million. The other Xixia has a population of more than 4 million, and Dali has a population of more than 6.5438+0 million.

Mongolia has risen and its population has declined on a large scale. In Mongolia, the population in the north is only 10 million. Compared with the large-scale population decline in the north, the population loss in the south is less, reaching 6.5438+million, and the remaining population is about 50 million. That is, after the reunification of the Yuan Dynasty, the national population was almost 60 million. After the reunification of the Yuan Dynasty, the national population began to increase again, reaching a peak of more than 85 million.

At the turn of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the population decline was not serious, about 60 million. Since then, the population of the Ming Dynasty has been growing at an annual rate of 5%, reaching its peak in 1600. The General Population History of China is estimated to be1600,000, and Ge is estimated to be1970,000. In the late Ming Dynasty, due to natural disasters, the population declined on a large scale. 1644 before the Qing army entered the customs, the population of the Ming dynasty was about1.200 million.

In the early Qing Dynasty, by 165 1, the national population reached the bottom, about 50 million to 60 million. Since then, the Qing dynasty unified the whole country and began to recuperate, so the population quickly recovered. Kangxi carried out the policy of "dividing fields into households", which accelerated the population growth. By the late Kangxi period, the national population had reached 65.438+0.5 billion. From Kangxi to Qianlong, the population was still growing, and Qianlong exceeded 300 million, reaching 430 million in 1850, which became the peak of the population in Qing Dynasty.