The MYSTERY of the rice-tax sticks
Another Paul Rowe History Mystery
My latest book is a history novel, Rice and Blood, In it I write a great deal about the rice-tax implemented by Vietnam's Emperor, Gia Long.
The rice-tax gave him the wealth and power to become the most powerful Emperor Vietnam has ever seen.
As the book points out it was rice that drove the birth of modern Vietnam.
During the Monsoon Wars (the Tay Son Uprising), the Tay Sons often plundered rice to take back to Qui Nhon in the central area, where rice was not so plentiful.
Much of this important rice came from the super fertile Gia Dinh strip (Gia Dinh Prefecture). A strip of farming land from what is now Ho Chi Minh City, through to the coast.
The rice-tax gave him the wealth and power to become the most powerful Emperor Vietnam has ever seen.
As the book points out it was rice that drove the birth of modern Vietnam.
During the Monsoon Wars (the Tay Son Uprising), the Tay Sons often plundered rice to take back to Qui Nhon in the central area, where rice was not so plentiful.
Much of this important rice came from the super fertile Gia Dinh strip (Gia Dinh Prefecture). A strip of farming land from what is now Ho Chi Minh City, through to the coast.
I must admit I haven't given much thought to how the rice-tax was administered (apart from fact that the peasants were seriously screwed over by the Nguyen tax collector; a mandarin with his own soldiers).
If the peasants couldn't pay their rice-tax, then they were corvéed into service to the Emperor for a specific period, or they may have even lost their farms.
Rice-tax was extremely unpopular with the peasant rice-farmers. The Nguyen family had always taxed the Vietnamese heavily. The Nguyens rice-tax made them unpopular and fermented many an uprising against them.
If the peasants couldn't pay their rice-tax, then they were corvéed into service to the Emperor for a specific period, or they may have even lost their farms.
Rice-tax was extremely unpopular with the peasant rice-farmers. The Nguyen family had always taxed the Vietnamese heavily. The Nguyens rice-tax made them unpopular and fermented many an uprising against them.
Last month I was going through a museum in Saigon with my daughter,
and I came across a display of rice-tax sticks.
They were also referred to as rice-tax receipts.
and I came across a display of rice-tax sticks.
They were also referred to as rice-tax receipts.
How did these sticks work? I can appreciate how they would be used for counting bags of rice.
But how could they be used as rice-tax receipts?
So here is our next History Mystery:
How did the Nguyen dynasty use rice-tax sticks in their collection of rice taxes from the peasant rice-farmers of the Gia Dinh strip?
But how could they be used as rice-tax receipts?
So here is our next History Mystery:
How did the Nguyen dynasty use rice-tax sticks in their collection of rice taxes from the peasant rice-farmers of the Gia Dinh strip?
The Nguyen Emperors (up to the arrival of the French) were particularly good at collecting rice tax. They had many citadels across Vietnam, and their citadels protected massive royal rice granaries inside.
An example of how successful the Nguyens were at collecting rice was clearly shown, when in 1835, their main citadel in present day Saigon, was over thrown and the rice granary burnt; three years later the rice granary was still smoldering.
Obviously they collected a lot of rice, therefore the rice-tax receipts sticks must have been important and plentiful.
An example of how successful the Nguyens were at collecting rice was clearly shown, when in 1835, their main citadel in present day Saigon, was over thrown and the rice granary burnt; three years later the rice granary was still smoldering.
Obviously they collected a lot of rice, therefore the rice-tax receipts sticks must have been important and plentiful.
I would like to learn how these sticks were used as rice-tax receipts, so I can mention them in Rice and Blood.
I contacted George Dutton, author of The Tay Son Uprising. Unfortunately, he has never heard of rice-tax sticks. To help me out, he logged my question into a world wide university data base. It may turn up something.
Can you help? Have you read anything about these sticks?
If you are from Vietnam or South East Asia, might your grandfather have used something similar?
Please use my email, [email protected] to contact me if you have ideas re: solving this particular History Mystery.
I would love to hear from you. Thank you, Paul Rowe.
I contacted George Dutton, author of The Tay Son Uprising. Unfortunately, he has never heard of rice-tax sticks. To help me out, he logged my question into a world wide university data base. It may turn up something.
Can you help? Have you read anything about these sticks?
If you are from Vietnam or South East Asia, might your grandfather have used something similar?
Please use my email, [email protected] to contact me if you have ideas re: solving this particular History Mystery.
I would love to hear from you. Thank you, Paul Rowe.
VIETNAM HISTORY and CULTURE
and OTHER GOOD STUFF
Posted by Paul Rowe 2017, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
and OTHER GOOD STUFF
Posted by Paul Rowe 2017, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.