Zhu Yuanzhang used the Yellow Registers and Travel Permits to confine farmers to the land. Why did these policies later become ineffective?

During the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, due to the development of society and economy and the growth of population, the demand for land among farmers increased. However, the uneven distribution of land and the heavy tax burden made it impossible for many farmers to maintain a livelihood, leading them to seek ways to improve their lives, such as settling elsewhere, migrating, or engaging in maritime commerce 12.

During the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, due to the corruption of officials and lax supervision, the management of the Yellow Registers and travel permits became chaotic and riddled with loopholes. Phenomena such as fraudulent registration, fake registration, and privately manufactured travel permits were frequently observed, causing the household registration system to lose its constraining power 12.

During the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, due to factors such as natural disasters, warfare, and epidemics, many regions experienced sharp population decline, missing household registrations, and barren land. This caused the data in the Yellow Registers and travel permits to severely mismatch the actual situation, making it impossible to reflect the true population dynamics 1.