27
THE POPULATION OF CHINA
A LETTER ON THE POPULATION OF CHINA,
addressed to the Registrar General, London:
By SIR JOHN BOWRING. Read to the Society, 8th August, 1855.
(Editor's Note:-Beginning with the present volume the Society will reprint a selected article from the Transactions of the old China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society whenever it is convenient to do so. There were published in Hong Kong six Transactions of the China Branch between the years 1847 and 1859. The only known complete extant sets of the Transactions in the Colony are the microfilmed sets recently acquired by the Library of the University of Hong Kong and by the Society. The present selection is taken from Transactions, Part V, 1855, pp. 1-16. The author was Governor of Hong Kong, 1854 to 1859, and an able early President of the Society. The subject is one of continuing, intriguing interest. The article is reprinted here in its original, unrevised form.)
Government House, Hong Kong, 13th July, 1855.
Sir, I wish it were possible to give a satisfactory reply to your inquiries as to the real Population of China.
There has been no official census taken since the time of Kia King, 43 years ago. Much doubt has been thrown upon the accuracy of these returns, which give 362,447,183 as the total number of the inhabitants of China. I think our greater knowledge of the country increases the evidence in favour of the approximative correctness of the official document, and that we may with tolerable safety estimate the present population of the Chinese Empire as between 350,000,000 and 400,000,000 of human beings. The penal Laws of China make provision for a general system of registration; and corporal punishments, generally amounting to 100 blows of the bamboo, are to be inflicted on those who neglect to make the proper returns. The machinery is confided to the Elders of the district, and the census is required to be annually taken; but I have no reason to believe the law is obeyed, or the neglect of it punished,
In the English translation of Father Alvares Semedo's history of China published in London A.D. 1655, is the following passage
"This kingdom is so exceedingly populous, that having lived there two-and-twenty years, I was in no less amazement at my
27
THE POPULATION OF CHINA
A LETTER ON THE POPULATION OF CHINA,
addressed to the Registrar General, London:
By SIR JOHN BOWRING. Read to the Society, 8th August, 1855.
(Editor's Note:-Beginning with the present volume the Society will reprint a selected article from the Transactions of the old China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society whenever it is convenient to do so. There were published in Hong Kong six Transactions of the China Branch between the years 1847 and 1859. The only known complete extant sets of the Transactions in the Colony are the microfilmed sets recently acquired by the Library of the University of Hong Kong and by the Society. The present selection is taken from Transactions, Part V, 1855, pp. 1-16. The author was Governor of Hong Kong, 1854 to 1859, and an able early President of the Society. The subject is one of continuing, intriguing interest. The article is reprinted here in its original, unrevised form.)
Government House, Hong Kong, 13th July, 1855.
Sir, I wish it were possible to give a satisfactory reply to your inquiries as to the real Population of China.
There has been no official census taken since the time of Kia
King, 43 years ago. Much doubt has been thrown upon the accuracy of these returns, which give 362,447,183 as the total number of the inhabitants of China. I think our greater know- ledge of the country increases the evidence in favour of the approximative correctness of the official document, and that we may with tolerable safety estimate the present population of the Chinese Empire as between 350,000,000 and 400,000,000 of human beings. The penal Laws of China make provision for a general system of registration; and corporal punishments, generally amounting to 100 blows of the bamboo, are to be inflicted on those who neglect to make the proper returns. The machinery is confided to the Elders of the district, and the census is required to be annually taken; but I have no reason to believe the law is obeyed, or the neglect of it punished,
In the English translation of Father Alvares Semedo's history of China published in London A.D. 1655, is the following
passage
"This kingdom is so exceedingly populous, that having lived there two-and-twenty years, I was in no less amazement at my
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.