Migration of Shandong people in the early days of the Yellow River flooding

The reasons for emigrating to Northeast China are, of course, the immigration and active reclamation policies of the central and local governments mentioned above, as well as the attraction brought by the natural economy in Northeast China. But the bigger driving force is the deteriorating natural economic environment and social unrest in North China, which pushes bankrupt farmers and refugees to the northeast to make a living.

First of all, North China has less land and a large population, which is the premise of emigrating to Northeast China. After the Qing Dynasty, the population of Shandong, Henan and Zhili provinces soared, and the population density was much higher than the national average, and even once became the highest density province. 1840, 1898 and 1936, the national average population per square kilometer was 43.63, 4 1.29 and 48.88, respectively, while the population of Shandong province in these three years was 207. 1 and 248. In three years, there were 147.80 people, 157.07 people and 192.52 people in Henan province, respectively, rising from the seventh place to the fourth place in the country. In the past three years, there were 97.39 people, 165 people, 438+0.33 people and 139.35 people in Hebei province, respectively, rising from the tenth place to the eighth place in the country. (Note: According to Zhang Youyi: Re-estimation of Modern Population and Cultivated Land in China, Research on Chinese Economic History,No. 199 1 issue. Therefore, the per capita land volume is decreasing year by year. According to statistics, in the first year of Xianfeng in Hebei, Shandong, Henan and North China (185 1), the per capita cultivated land was 4.46 mu, which was reduced to 3.66 mu after 19 12, and then to 2.93 mu after 1928. (Note: Quoted from Li Wenhai and others: Ten Famines in Modern China, p. 44, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1994. The imbalance between cultivated land and population has brought great pressure to the rural areas in North China, prompting people to emigrate to the northeast region with vast land and sparse population and fertile land.