By the Han dynasty, the well-field system of land distribution had fallen out of use in China though reformers like Wang Mang tried to restore it.
That prevented aristocrats from developing large power bases by monopolizing the fields and allowed the common people to take part of the land and ensure their livelihood.
It also allowed the government to develop a tax base and slowed the accumulation of land by vast, untaxable estates.
Peasants often entered the households of landlords and became tenant farmers or servants during times of natural disasters and conflict to ensure their own security.
The pattern of landlords holding lands worked by tenant farmers would continue throughout the rest of Chinese history until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.