Today, history remembers Han Gaozu – Liu Bang as the heroic warlord who defeated Xi Chu Overlord – Xiang Yu. Little do people know that during his reign, Liu Bang devised a “deadly strategy” to increase the population, which angered women.
Did Liu Bang’s “extreme strategy” to increase the population anger women?
Ascending the throne in 206 BC, Han Gaozu, known as Liu Bang, was the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty in Chinese history. He quickly realized that seizing power was easy, but governing and leading the country in the right direction was the real challenge.
The newly established Han Dynasty faced a significant social crisis. Years of prolonged war had taken a toll on the economy, causing a decline in all industries and immense hardship for the people. Concerned about the plight of his people, the emperor worked tirelessly to address the situation. He strongly promoted loose policies, encouraged agricultural production, and reduced taxes. Over time, the lives of the people stabilized, and the economy began to recover.
Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty in Chinese history.
However, a new challenge emerged: a severe population crisis. After much deliberation with his ministers, Liu Bang implemented a policy to encourage population growth. He issued a nationwide amnesty for escaped prisoners and granted freedom to civilians who had been sold into slavery during the war. Additionally, he introduced special incentives to encourage childbirth, offering families with newborns a monetary reward and a food allowance. Liu Bang also promised tax exemptions for families with additional children.
Liu Bang’s new tax policy caused a stir across the nation.
While his strategies initially improved the birth rate, the population continued to decline. After careful consideration, Liu Bang identified the core issue: women were reluctant to marry and have children early on. To address this, he devised a policy that shocked the nation—a special tax targeting unmarried women aged 15 to 30, with rates increasing fivefold annually. Those who violated this rule faced severe penalties, even imprisonment.
Liu Bang’s policy angered women as they felt forced into early marriage and childbirth.
This policy immediately pushed women to accelerate their marriage and childbirth plans. However, while it was effective, it also caused a stir among the people. Women were furious, feeling coerced into early marriage and childbirth, stripped of their freedom to choose a spouse and have children at their own pace. In contrast, men rejoiced as they no longer worried about remaining unmarried or being rejected due to their family’s status or their own shortcomings.
Despite the mixed reactions, Liu Bang’s special tax policy for unmarried women remained in place and yielded impressive results, leading to a rapid increase in the population.
