AP World History · Causation
Which development within Ming China most directly helped sustain the strong demand for silver reflected in the source?
Antonio de Morga on commerce through Manila, 1609
Spanish colonial official Antonio de Morga described ships arriving at Manila from China with merchants carrying silk, cotton cloth, porcelain, metal goods, and other merchandise. He also noted that merchants in Mexico and Peru sent large quantities of silver to the Philippines to purchase Asian goods, and that authorities attempted to regulate both the trade and the amount of silver sent across the Pacific.
Adapted from Antonio de Morga, <em>Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas</em>, published in Mexico City, 1609.
Which development within Ming China most directly helped sustain the strong demand for silver reflected in the source?
Answer and explanation
Answer: B: Tax reforms that increasingly required many obligations to be paid in silver
Strong Chinese demand for silver was sustained by Ming tax reforms that increasingly required obligations to be paid in silver, so B is correct. Choice A is tempting because paper money existed, but it had serious problems and did not permanently replace metallic currency. Choice C claims taxes shifted to agricultural labor, whereas the trend ran toward monetized payment. Choice D says silver was prohibited in commerce, but silver became more important in both taxation and market transactions.
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