has it been observed anywhere in recent years?
Yes, in Myanmar, Bhutan and Rwanda.
Corvée
The government of Myanmar is well known for its use of the corvée and has defended the practice in its official newspapers.

In Bhutan, the "" calls for citizens to do work, such as dzong construction, in lieu of part of their tax obligation to the state.

In Rwanda, the centuries-old tradition of umuganda, or community labor, still continues, usually in the form of one Saturday a month when citizens are required to perform this work.
peasants made up what part of the population of han china UNANSWERABLE what kind of money was used during this time? Coin currency and token money notes. who was the emperor at that time? Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Wen, Emperor Wu and Emperor Guangwu. when was the first emperor born? 256 BCE. is there any book or song about him? He composed a song called - "Song of the Great Wind". did he make any efforts to reduce taxation on his people? He gave an order stating that the people who remained in Guanzhong were exempted from taxes and corvée for 12 years while those who returned to their respective native territories were exempted for six years. what is the meaning of the second form of taxation mentioned here? It is a form of unpaid, unfree labour, which is intermittent in nature and which lasts limited periods of time. any ancient civilizations that practiced this? Yes, the Roman Empire.
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Corvée [SEP] Modern instances
The government of Myanmar is well known for its use of the corvée and has defended the practice in its official newspapers. In Bhutan, the "" calls for citizens to do work, such as dzong construction, in lieu of part of their tax obligation to the state. In Rwanda, the centuries-old tradition of umuganda, or community labor, still continues, usually in the form of one Saturday a month when citizens are required to perform this work.