A Study of Han Fei's Thought

Abstract

It is still hard to ascertain when the landlord economy (in the exploitation form of a tenancy system) in China got started. At least, however, it was during the middle of the Warring States period, that is, the time of Mencius, that the earliest land issue in China was brought up. Raising the issue was a reflection of how the phenomenon of uneven distribution of wealth surfaced and developed in ancient times. The landlord economy based on the exploitation form of a tenancy system came into existence in the wake of the widening of the uneven distribution of wealth in society. Therefore, we can presume that the landlord economy began to emerge during the middle of the Warring States period at the latest. It seems certain that the landlord economy was already an established fact toward the end of that period. For example, Han Fei noted in his representative writing On Outstanding Schools: When discussing the problem how to rule, most of the contemporary scholars propose: ‘Divide the land among the poor t...