Fish swimming in a rice paddy.
Feeding fish, with the expectation that they will feed the rice.
Drawing of woman harvesting rice and fish together in her paddy.
Although the Ming Dynasty is most famous for its beautiful pottery and art, it was also a time of great advancements in agriculture and community in China. This Dynasty came to power after a long period of Mongol rule, and it was the intent of the Ming family to restore the people to healthy communities, and to increase the region's economic power in the face of increasing communication and trade with Western countries. Although the technique of using rice terraces had been previously introduced, this area saw advances in irrigation for better flooding of fields, the introduction of fish into the paddies for natural fertilzation of the crops, crop rotation, and more advanced harvesting and planting tools.
The Qing Dynasty ushered significant changes due to modernization in China. The last of China's formal dynasties, it oversaw a change from traditional farming peasant village where the leaders of the village were responsible for guiding the people in crop rotations, planting, and distribution of seed and product into a system where politics and farming were completely seperated. This was accentuated when China's political system changed to socialism in the 1970s, and the practice of fish culture was eshewed in favor of using commercial fertilizers and modern harvesting equipment.
While China has slowly begun to welcome trade from other countries, the practice of fish culture has slowly been reincorporated into peasant farming practices. Fish culture is touted as a good way to keep fields healthier and to provide added protein for the frequently malnourished peasants that work the fields. Although China has overseen a number of radical changes in its culture and society over the last one hundred years, rice remains a crucial staple. It constitutes more than forty percent of peasant caloric intake, and is an important export and source of income for the people.