Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-02-20
LAND LAWS OF CHINA.
REAL ESTATE CAN NEVER BE IN.
HERlTEO BY DAUGHTERS.
Agricultural Land is Divided Into Three
Classes-All Under Cultivation Must Pay
a.%;one Mada =rri.,-l'


Daughters never inherit. Ine
comprised in the original grant can be
sold by the proprietors in subdivisions,
md is most usually sold in perpetuity,
or for 1000 years. The proprietors
record their names in the district reg
istry as responsible for the tax, and
their possession is legally secure so
long as thatis paid. Deeds Of absolute
sale have been brought in from the
new territory for registration which
were made in the reign Of the Emperor
IA Using and Of subsequent emperors
of the Ming dynasty "a. D. 1913 to
1926, and which have been recognized
by the, present dynasty. Strictly a
grant issued bv the present dynasty
should be attached to all grants made
by the previous dynasty. The present
owners under such grants are all the
existing male descendants Of the orig
inal guarantee. and in one case the
proprietors now number over IOC. all
land under cultivation is supposed to
pay land tax, and from time to time
spasmodic attempts are made to sur
vey the area under cultivation. But IN
spite of Government orders, all efforts
to obtain correct data Of the actual
acreage brought under cultivation have
been frustrated. The land owners,
wishing to have their land exempted
from the payment Of taxes. seem to
have succeeded in inducing the survey
officers not to make correct reports
But when large and fertile tracts,
yielding valuable crops, are not re-
ported for registration, such has been
the case with extensive areas reclaimed
from the sea near San Tin, the Chinese
authorities generally confscate and re-
sell them to private individuals, after
they discover them.
Agricultural land Is divided into
three classes, each class paying diff
ferent rate. First-class lands are those
near villages in fertile valleys, with a
good depth Of soil and good water
supply, producing annually two crops
OF rice or one crop of sugar cane. Sec
ond-class lands are those less fertile
than the frs: class, and are generally
situated higher up the slopes of hills,
and have not such a good water sup
ply as the first class. They produce
annually one crop Of rice or one crop
Of sugar cane. Third-class lands are
those situated on still higher slopes
and are far removed from good water
supply. They are generally de. oted
to the cultivation of peanuts, sweet po-
tatoes, millet and other hardy crops
which do not require much moisture.
Fish ponds pay q special tax higher
than that paid by cultivated land OF
the first class. The land tax is col
lected by the authorities sending out
deputies, clerks and runners to differ
ent districts. notifications being posted
calling upon landowners to pay the
land tax with all haste. In some cases
these collectors linger for more than n
month in certain localities. No pay is
given by the Government to the land
collectors, who are left to their own
ingenuity and wits to make as much
as they can out Of the villagers, with
out creating trouble. The villagers, of
course, are anxious to get rid Of these
men, and are only too glad to pay the
extras" necessary to effect that OBJ
ject, especially as they have not in
frequently placed themselves in false
position by not having reported pof-
tions Of their land on which :axes
should be paid. The villagers are not
slow to understand that the longer
these collectors remain in their neigh
borhood the greater the probability of
their unregistered land being discov-
cred. On this account the extras"