Persistence of Cities: Evidence from China

Using data from Qing dynasty, this paper investigates long-run implications of the early development for the present development in China. We use city-level population density in 1776 as a measure of the early economic prosperity, and investigate how it is associated with todayi?½s development indicators such as the average night-light density, GDP per capita, average years of schooling, and trade openness. We find that more prosperous cities of the Qing dynasty are now brighter, richer, more educated, and more open.