[1].,FarmOwnershipandTenancyinChina（Shanghai:NationalChristianCouncil,1927）.[2].NationalGovernment,StatisticsDepartment,StatisticalAnalysisofTenancySystemsinChina（China:ChengChungBookStore,1942）,pp.52-53.[3].Pe-YuChangandYin-YuenWang,QuestionsofFarmTenancyinChina（Chungking:CommercialPress,1943）,p.68.[4].NationalGovernment,StatisticalAnalysis,pp.54-55.[5].Seeibid.,pp.53-54；andChangandWang,QuestionsofFarmTenancy,pp.67-70.[6].DepartmentofRealEstates,ChinaEconomicYearbook（China,1936）,pp.G62-83.[7].ExecutiveYuan,ChangesinLandRights（China,1942）,no.2.Thedatawereobtainedfromsamplecontractsinfourteenprovincesin1938.[8].Unfortunately,Ihavenotbeenabletofinddatathatwouldconfirmorrefutethisstatement.[9].Notethatwithasharecontractthelandownernotonlysharesthepossiblelossinabadyear,butalsothegainofagoodharvestwhichwillreducetheriskpremiumbyafraction.[10].SeetheUniversityofNanking,RentalSystemsinFourProvinces（Nanking,1936）,pp.65-67.[11].NationalGovernment,StatisticalAnalysis,pp.54-55.[12].ChangandWang,QuestionsofFarmTenancy,p.63.[13].Ibid.,pp.63-64.[14].,accordingtoeconomictheory,tenantinputsarestipulatedinasharecontract,Ididnotmentionthestipulationofmultiplecropplantationsbecauseonlyonemutuallyagreedproductwasassumed.[15].,ChineseFarmEconomy（Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,1930）,pp.149-50.[16].ChangandWang,QuestionsofFarmTenancy,-MohChen,LandRentsofVariousProvincesinChina（Shanghai:CommercialPress,1936）；Chi-MingChiao,ASocialandEconomicStudyofFarmVillagesinChina（Nanking:UniversityofNanking,1938）,chap.9；andChinaEconomicResearchDepartment,SourceMaterialsofRecentChineseAgriculturalHistory,1912-27（Peking:UnitedBookStore,1957）,（1934）,coveringatotalofninety-threeprefecturesineightprovinces,showsthatthedis-tributionofleasedurationswasasfollows:29percentofthetenantcontractswereindefinite（thatis,unspecifiedandusuallyterminableaftereveryharvest）,25percentannualleases,27per-centfromthreetotenyears,8percentfromtentotwentyyears,and11percentwereperpetualleases.[1],,asthefrequencyofshort-termleaseshasbeenusedtoillustratetheturnoverrateoftenancy,.[2]

Intheliteratureonlandtenure,twoargumentshavebeenmonlyusedinsupportoftheallegedinefficiencyofleasedurationsoflessthantenyears.[3],althoughundesirableforthetenant,mayprovideastimulustofarmingactivity.[4];norhasanyevidencebeenofferedtoshowthat,inChina,productivityundertenancyvarieswiththedurationofaleasingcontract.