Changes In The Concept Of Charity And Relief During The Period From 1990 To 1949

It was a critical period from 1900 through 1949 that philanthropy in China evolved from its traditional form into its modern form.New social demand as well as the challenges of transition faced by China’s charity and relief brought about China people’s new understanding of charity and relief.On the one hand,the concepts of charity and relief was deeply affected by the western culture,on the other hand,it constantly adjust itself to the practical needs of the social development,showing its unique historical track.As a majored journal presenting public opinion in the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China,The Eastern Miscellany fully recorded the transitional process to the new concept of charity and relief in China.In the late Qing dynasty,when China’s social problems just went from bad to worse,the traditional of charity and relief cause gradually declined.In the meantime,the new forms and concepts of charity and relief appeared,such as to educate rather than to feed,toadopt and educate.The motivation of China’s charity and relief evolved from individual-oriented into a society-oriented one.By the early and medium period of the Republic of China,varieties of western ideologies had widely spread in China,and people’s discussion relevant to charity and relief had extended to a wider range of fields,including employment lawmaking,education,women’s philanthropy,social security,disaster prevention and relief and so on.Besides,the concept of charity and relief became diversified and people’s attitude toward it changed from negative relief to positive relief.Then China’s Anti-Japanese War broke out.With the extensive development of relief work during and after the war,as well as the promulgation of the social relief law,the idea of making charity universal and institutionalized emerged.There is no denying that at the concept level,China’s charity had been transformed from the relief of poverty into comprehensive assistance.This thesis collect article from the Eastern Miscellany issued between 1900 to 1949,analyzes the relationship between the concept of charity and relief and the development of social modernization in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China,and reveals the changing process of the concept of charity and relief.