The article explores estimating GDP per capita in China during the 18th century by comparing it to pre-industrial Europe. Researchers used data on labor force structure and real wages to estimate GDP per capita from 1500 to 1800. Due to limited price information in China, rice was used as a standard for comparison. Per capita GDP in Java from 1815 to 1835 was equivalent to 490 kg of rice, highlighting a significant gap between underdeveloped Java and developed regions like the Yangtze Delta.