清代中葉淮河以南東南沿海缺糧的四個省分－江蘇、浙江、福建、廣東－糧食作 物均以稻米為主。蘇、浙二省稻產一年一獲，福建沿海及廣東全省幾手都是一年二獲。在一 年一穫區，收穫以晚稻為主，但是，浙江杭州灣以南各地多種早稻。此外，江蘇沿海盛產棉 花，太湖流域一帶蠶、桑普遍，值得注意。 這四省包括全國經濟精華所在的長江三角洲以及珠江三角洲等地，是全國人口最稠密和經濟 最發達的地區。1820 年平均人口密度為每平方公里 178 人，高於全國平均數的一倍以上。 尤其是江蘇長江以南及浙江杭州灣以北各府州， 人口密度都在每平方公里 400 人以上，蘇 州府更幾乎高達 902 人。這些地區因此缺糧也特別嚴重。 這四個省分缺糧，主要依賴內陸 餘糧省分四川、湖南、江西、安徽、廣西及臺灣島供應。閩、粵二省也有部分米糧從安南、 暹羅等地進口。 就這個地區四個首府（蘇州、杭州、泉州、廣州）的米價變動觀察與分析，我們發現各地糧 價有溫和上升趨勢。其次，各府糧價都呈現明顯的季節性波動。蘇、杭米價大抵於七、八月 達高峰，十月、十一月最低；泉、廣二府高峰均為五月，谷底分別為九月、十一月。第三、 各府糧價也呈現大致四年的週期性波動。 從米糧貿易及糧價相關分析可以看出，十八世紀的中國二個樞紐地區－長江三角洲和珠江三 角洲－經濟上關聯尚弱。但是，糧食不足地區與有餘地區之間的地域分工與經濟交流至為明 顯，各個經濟大區市場關聯性高低各異，但並非孤立。就我們所考察的地區來看，大致可以 說，以長江三角洲為中心，地理上與交通運輸上愈接近的地區，市場整合程度愈高。　

　　　　　Before the middle of the nineteenth century, the southeastern coast, enclosing specifically Jiangsu south of the Huai River, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong, ranked the highest in terms of grain shortage in China. For centuries, rice has been the principal crop and staple food in this area. While a single crop of rice predominated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, double-cropping prevailed in the coastal area of Fujian and virtually all throughout Guangdong. In the single crop area, rice of late ripening varieties prevailed except in large areas of Zhejiang where the early ripening rice was grown instead. It should also be noted that cash crops like cotton and mulberries were prevalent on coastal Jiangsu and around Lake Tai. Cropping patterns affect food supply considerably. More important is the density of population in determining the condition of grain markets. For the area as a whole, the density of population was 178 persons per square kilometer in 1820, more than twice the national average. Most striking is the Yangzi Delta (southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang) where all prefectures had a population density of more than 400 persons per square kilometer. The highest was Suzhou with approximately 902 persons per square kilometer. Thus, the extent of food shortage was the severest in the delta. Most neighboring provinces inland, however, produced large quantities of rice over and above what their citizens consumed. Accordingly, a flourishing trade developed between the southeasern coast and inland during the Qing period. The coastal area exported industrial goods like textiles, capital, and technical know-how in exchange for grain shipments from Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Guangxi, and the offshore island of Taiwan. To observe the behavior of grain prices in the area, we have conducted a statistical analysis of rice prices in the four principal prefectures-Suzhou, Hangzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou-from 1741 to 1760. Our major findings are as follows: first, rice prices rose moderately in all prefectures in question; second, there is a clear pattern of seasonal variations in prices. Prices generally peak in July-August and sink to their lowest in October-November in Suzhou and Hangzhou, whereas the peak appears in May and the trough in September /November in Quanzhou and Guangzhou respectively. Third, by and large a four- year cyclical movement is also observable in all prefectures. Finally, the weak correlation in prices between Suzhou and Guangzhou implies that the two key economic areas, the Yangzi Delta and the Canton Delta, remained poorly integrated in the eighteenth century. However, prices in Quanzhou and Guangzhou and those in Quanzhou and Hangzhou are either highly correlated or nearly so. To conclude, centering on the Yangzi Delta, the shorter is the distance from it, the greater the market integration observable along the coast. Along with our earlier observations on grain trade, it is evident that China's regions were far from autarkic in the eighteenth century.